


shooting star

by spxcestxtion



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Assassination Plot(s), Blood, Blood and Injury, Boys Kissing, Character Death, Farmer boy Han Jisung, First Kiss, Guard Seo Changbin, Heartbreak, Hwang Hyunjin-centric, Implied Lee Felix/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Jisung is soft, M/M, Mild Smut, Minor Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Minor Injuries, Mutual Masturbation, Plot Twists, Prince Hwang Hyunjin, Prince Kim Seungmin, Sad Ending, Self-Sacrifice, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26537668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spxcestxtion/pseuds/spxcestxtion
Summary: hyunjin lived his entire life in the castle. he refused to be set up and married off. when plots of an assassination arise, hyunjin is sent off to the country side, where he meets han jisung, the eccentric farm boy who shows him a different side of life.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin
Comments: 21
Kudos: 66





	1. Part One.

"hyunjin dear, please come here." the queen says softly as she enters the prince's room. she takes one look at the floor and her face twists in disgust. "what is this?"

"what is what?" the black haired prince sticks his head out from the bathroom, robe sitting loosely on his body. his eyes travel to where his mother points, shrugging at the clothes tossed around the room. 

"this mess, dear. this must be cleaned up."

"the maids will handle it." 

"the maids- hyunjin, you aren't ready and the dinner starts in half an hour." the queen crosses her arms over her chest, disappointment written across her face as she approaches the young prince. "what are you even doing?"

"brushing my hair, mother." the male replied dryly, running the thin brush through his dark locks for the nth time that day. he'd been holding off on getting dressed, not really interested in some fancy dinner with a noble family from a nearby kingdom.

"hyunjin, please don't be late. you know how rude it would be." 

"yes mother, i know. i'll try my best." he rolls his eyes when his mother turns away, poking his head out again as he watched his mother place something on his dresser before leaving his room. her presence was soon replaced by momo, the maid he could tolerate the most. 

"your highness, it's a mess in here."

"i know."

"how come?"

"i can't decide on an outfit, momo. they all seem so _bland._ " hyunjin sighs, setting the brush down and leaving the bathroom, shrugging off the bathrobe and tossing it onto his bed before turning to the female. she was holding up a beautiful dark blue robe, which hyunjin slipped into easily, adjusting the sleeves as he took the pants she held out for him. he slipped his feet into the shoes provided for him, letting momo button up the robe as he looked at himself in the full body mirror. 

"hmm, it'll do." 

"you look lovely, your highness. let me fix your hair."

hyunjin frowns but he takes a seat on the stool in front of his dresser, reaching for one of the rings laid out for him to wear. he grumbles when momo tilts his head back, stubborn, but he complies with the action. 

"who's ring is this?"

"your mother's engagement ring." momo responds softly, smiling at the prince through the mirror and hyunjin has half a heart to smile back. 

"hmm, doesn't seem very fitting but whatever." he slips the ring onto his finger, twisting the metal band a bit before letting it be. he sits quietly as momo braids his hair, pinning it up and tying it off with a matching string. she bends down, tucking a piece of hair behind hyunjin's ear before kissing his cheek softly. 

“you’ll be down soon, your highness?” momo asks as she straightens up, smoothing out the front of her skirt before walking towards the door. 

“we’ll see.” the prince shrugs, getting to his feet and shuffling towards the balcony, momo’s words going in one ear and out the other. he only turns his head when the door shut, hands running along the ledge. he stares down at the garden below, a disgusted look on his face as he saw the maroon colored carriage stop by the entrance to the palace. he decides to test how long he could drag dinner out, keeping himself locked in his room and reading a book he found lying on his desk. 

after about twenty minutes, hyunjin finally decides to leave his room, taking his time walking down the stairs and towards the dining hall. when he opens the large door, there’s five pairs of eyes on him, excluding the servers. 

“hyunjin dear, i told you not to be late.” his mother huffs, setting her napkin down onto the table. 

“sorry, i got caught up with some reading.” the prince mutters, closing the door behind him and walking towards the empty chair. once he took a seat, he felt eyes on him again, looking up at the male sitting directly across from him. 

“who are you?” he asks, picking up the fabric napkin and setting it on his lap. 

“hyunjin, these are the kims. from the west. they’ve come for you.” his father says. 

“for me?” hyunjin nearly laughs, but he contains himself for his parents’ sake. 

“the prince wants to court you.” 

“seungmin, your highness.” the male across him extends a hand out, and hyunjin takes it hesitantly, shaking firmly. 

“you’re a feisty one, hmm?” he whispers and hyunjin nearly gags, picking up his fork and reaching for the food. 

“hyunjin-” his mother begins, but she’s cut off by seungmin’s mother, who waves her hand and smiles. 

“oh no dear, go ahead! It’s alright!” 

hyunjin could care less, digging into the food, but he feels a lingering discomfort as he eats. he glances up, meeting seungmin’s eyes again. the blonde is staring at him, and hyunjin feels his discomfort grow, hoping the disgusted look on his face would scare the other prince off. seungmin finally looks away and hyunjin smiles subtly, returning comfortably to his food. 

“hyunjin dear, you should show seungmin around the palace.” his mother speaks up after a bit, looking over at the young prince, who tries not to scowl visibly. 

he’s about to disagree until he sees seungmin’s face light up and he has no choice but to agree, pushing his chair back and getting up swiftly, wiping the corners of his lips with his napkin before looking at seungmin. 

“come on.” he says dryly, walking out of the dining room without even waiting. seungmin catches up quickly, much to hyunjin’s disappointment, and walks beside the dark haired prince. 

“you’re very difficult to talk to, aren’t you?” 

hyunjin shrugs, ignoring the question and continuing to walk down the long corridor, picking up his pace. 

“you know conversations are a two way thing, right? it’s very one sided right now.”

“didn’t realize we were having a conversation.”

seungmin laughs and hyunjin wants to punch him across the face. 

“what’s so funny?”

“you’re just interesting. i’ve yet to meet someone like you, hyunjin.” 

“i fail to see how that’s funny.” 

seungmin sighs, shaking his head, tilting his head to look at hyunjin’s face. hyunjin turns to him briefly, brows furrowed. 

“what?”

“you’re very gorgeous, your highness.”

“thanks.”

seungmin laughs again and hyunjin chooses not to question it this time. instead, he leads seungmin into the garden, sitting down by a tree. the prince sits beside him, curious look in his eyes and hyunjin glares at him. 

“if looks could kill, i’d be dead right now.”

“good.”

seungmin laughs yet again, completely unphased by hyunjin’s words. hyunjin stares at him like he’s seen a ghost. 

“what?”

“you’re not scared of me?”

“why would i be?” seungmin asks, voice soft and gentle. 

“i just wished death upon you, and i’ve been passive aggressive all night.”

“it’ll take more than that to scare me, your highness.”

“ugh, just call me hyunjin.” 

seungmin quirks a brow, smile forming on his face. 

“okay hyunjin.” 

they sit in silence for a bit, staring up at the sky, stars slowly coming into view. 

“are you miserable?” seungmin asks, breaking the silence and hyunjin wants to punch him again. 

“why do you care?”

“just asking. someone hurt you in the past?”

“again, why do you care? you’re just here to marry me so you can get the kingdom’s fortunes. i know about your own, seungmin.”

the blonde stares at him, confused, and hyunjin almost pities the poor prince.

“i know your kingdom is going bankrupt. i’ve heard about the floods and the disease spreading. i can smell the desperation on you. i’m sorry, i’m not marrying someone i just met.”

seungmin frowns for the first time that night and hyunjin feels somewhat happy about it, yet the kicked puppy look in the blonde’s eyes has hyunjin feeling a bit guilty.

“you’re right. the kingdom’s a mess. we’re running out of medicine and food for the people. we need help but my father is too proud. we need you hyunjin. i know your family is powerful, and you. . . the people would absolutely love you.” seungmin begs, taking hyunjin’s hands in his own. 

“why me? why not some noble princess who’s actually kind and caring? why someone like me?”

“because you’re different, hyunjin. i could see it the minute you walked into the dining room. there’s just something about you that i don’t think i’d find anywhere else.”

“okay, but you’re just using me. it’s all personal gain.”

seungmin flushes a bit, releasing hyunjin’s hands. 

“i’ve been meaning to meet you for some time now, actually. i haven’t been able to because of my schedule. i’ve heard so much about you from travelers.”

hyunjin can’t tear his eyes away from the blonde, feeling somewhat obliged to help, but part of him wanted to say no and walk away. he sighs, eyes falling on the flowers growing nearby. 

“please, hyunjin. you don’t have to make a decision now. just. . .” seungmin reaches into his pocket and pulls out a velvet box, opening it slowly to reveal a ring. a simple gold band that made hyunjin grimace. 

“what are you doing?”

“just take it, for now. wear it until you make a decision. please? it doesn’t have to mean anything, it would just mean a lot if you took it.” seungmin has a desperate look in his eyes, and hyunjin wants to push him away and scream. shout ‘no’ in his face and kick him out, but the ring is pretty and he would rather not get a lecture from his mother about how disappointed she was in him. 

“fine. it means nothing. it’s just a gift.” hyunjin states coldly, taking the ring out of the box carefully and slipping it onto his finger. he lifts his hand to the sky, eyeing the ring with a smile. he can feel seungmin’s eyes on him and he feels uncomfortable again. 

“thank you.” is all seungmin says, and hyunjin can easily identify the pain in the other’s voice, yet he chooses not to comment on it. 

he continues to admire the ring until he hears something whizzing beside his head and seungmin screaming his name. he’s suddenly on the grass, the blonde prince wrapping his arms around him. hyunjin pushes seungmin off, sitting up.

“what the hell-”

“duck!” seungmin yells, pushing him down again as the whizzing sound returns, and he flinches, feeling a stinging on his cheek. hyunjin watches as an arrow lands in the grass beside him and he screams, pushing seungmin off again. 

he runs, as fast as he can, but he stops upon thinking of seungmin, turning around and shouting the male’s name. he’s met with a gruesome image. seungmin’s lying on the grass, arm covered in blood. there’s an arrow lying beside him, the tip red with blood, and hyunjing runs back to him impulsively, somehow avoiding all the arrows flying at him. he grabs the blonde’s unwounded arm, pulling him to his feet. 

“stupid, you want to die?” he pulls seungmin along after him, dragging the injured male into the palace, letting go of his hand soon after. he ignores the worried looks from the guards, pushing them aside as he searches frantically for his parents. seungmin stumbles after him, clutching his injured arm tightly. when they burst into the dining room, their parents are on their feet in _seconds._

“what happened?”

“we were attacked, seungmin’s hurt, his arm. arrows, they came out of nowhere, i don’t know-” hyunjin rambled in his panicked state, hands flying everywhere until his mother wrapped her arms around him and he finally breaks down, choked sobs escaping past his lips. 

“seungmin, oh god!” he hears seungmin’s mother shout, clutching her son’s shoulders tightly. he can hear his father shouting for the nurses and maids, and hyunjin lifts his head momentarily to look at seungmin. he’d sat down in one of the empty chairs, his robe untied to reveal his arms and the gash, which had stopped bleeding. hyunjin lets go of his mother and moves towards the prince, but he’s pulled back. 

“hyunjin, you’re injured!” 

“what-”

he feels a hand press against his cheek and he flinches, pushing the hand away. a maid runs up to him, pushing him into another empty chair, pressing a wet cloth to his cheek. he tries to push her away but one of the nurses approaches him, shaking her head. she takes over and cleans the wound on his face, covering it up afterwards. 

“seungmin-”

“he’s okay, dear.” his mother rubs his shoulder reassuringly, and hyunjin turns to look at the blonde prince, who was sitting still in the chair nearby, arm cleaned up and wrapped up with a bandage. seungmin smiles at him as if nothing had happened, and he gets up, anger bubbling in his chest. 

“you’re smiling? we nearly got killed and you have the nerve to smile at me? what is wrong with you?” he shouts, and seungmin’s smile vanishes, replaced by a frown, and he gets up as well.

“you’d be dead right now if i hadn’t pushed you away both times! you should thank me!” he shouts back, and hyunjin would’ve lunged at him if his father hadn’t stopped him. 

“enough. we will get to the bottom of this. we will figure out who did this.” his father’s voice booms throughout the dining room and hyunjin watches seungmin flinch. 

hyunjin reaches out to seungmin, fingers gently brushing over his bandaged arm and he lets out a soft sigh. 

“i’m sorry.” he whispers, hands shaking a bit when he pulls away, but seungmin brushes him off. 

“it’s not your fault, hyunjin.” the blonde places a hand on hyunjin’s shoulder, a smile reappearing on his face. hyunjin wants to cry, scream at seungmin to stop smiling and realize the situation they’re in, but the prince restrains himself and turns to his parents instead. 

“i’ll be in my room.”

he leaves the dining room, met with several guards and he stares at them. 

“we were ordered to escort you to your room, your highness.”

“no.” hyunjin pushes past them, but he’s pulled back. 

“your highness, please allow us to escort you.” 

hyunjin laughs bitterly and turns around, flicking the guard on the forehead. 

“changbin, i told you, stop calling me that. i have a name.”

the short-statured guard stares up at the prince, face flushing. 

“sorry.”

“i’ll let you walk me back to my room. the others are unnecessary.” hyunjin waves the rest of the guards off, motioning for changbin to follow him. 

“so, who’s the guy?” changbin asks after a while, nudging the prince’s arm. hyunjin shoves him, shaking his head. 

“just a prince, from the west.” 

“a prince? you getting married or something?”

“don’t wanna.”

changbin points to his hand, and hyunjin grumbles, trying to hide the ring on his finger. 

“it’s just a gift, that’s it.”

“looks more like an engagement ring than anything.”

“shut up.” hyunjin shoves him again and changbin shuts up, walking silently beside the prince as they headed towards his room. 

“are you happy?” changbin asks quietly once they approach the room. hyunjin opens the door before turning to face the guard. 

“i don’t know. i don’t want to be forced to marry anyone, but i don’t think i really have the choice.” 

changbin gives him a sad look, as if he understands what hyunjin is going through. he decides not to take his frustration out on the poor guard, instead wishing him a good night and closing the door behind him. 

he strips of his robe quickly, letting it fall to the floor without care. he slipped into his nightshirt and took out the braids in his hair, falling onto the bed with a loud sigh. he hears scurrying and the sound of bedsheets being tugged on, and he turns to look down, eyes falling on the small dog struggling to climb onto his bed. 

“kkami!” 

the dog barks in response, and hyunjin bends down to pick him up, setting the black and white dog on the bed beside him. 

“i know you hate them as much as i do, kkami.” hyunjin kisses the dog’s head, pulling him close as he tried to bury himself in the covers. eventually he fell asleep, kkami nuzzled up against his chest comfortingly. 

  
  


when hyunjin wakes up, it’s not how he anticipated. 

“hyunjin, get up, quickly, quickly!” 

the prince barely has time to register what’s happening before he’s being pulled out of bed, kkami barking after him as he’s dragged into the bathroom, a bath already drawn for him. the maid pulls his nightshirt off and pushes him into the water. 

“quickly, your highness.”

he does as told in his drowsy state, and the maid hands him a fresh pair of clothes. simple, but hyunjin doesn’t question it. there’s a bag resting on his bed.

“what is this?” he asks, lifting the bag. 

“for you, your highness. quick, your parents request your presence.”

he’s pulled along again by the maids, and they’re met with a group of guards outside his room. 

“were you guarding my door all night?” hyunjin asks, annoyance evident in his tone.

“that should be the least of your worries.” changbin pipes up, but the small guard isn’t his usual cheery self. there’s a frown on his face and he looks somewhat scared. 

when they enter the dining room, hyunjin’s parents are both pacing back and forth, fear written across both their faces. hyunjin runs towards them, hugging them tightly. 

“what’s happening?” he asks, gripping his parents’ arms. 

“you’re in danger, hyunjin.”

“w-what. . .?”

“we decided to send you away. for a little while, at least.”

“what are you talking about?” hyunjin begins to panic, tears forming in his eyes.

“a small farm on the countryside, they’ll protect you there.” his mother reaches out, wiping his tears away, but hyunjin pushes her away. 

“no, i refuse.”

“hyunjin, please, we can’t have this happening again. please.” his father begs, and hyunjin opens his mouth to retaliate and hound them with more questions, but he doesn’t get the chance to because two guards come in and lead him out of the room. he screams after his parents, reaching out for them, but he’s lead outside the palace instead. 

“please, let me say goodbye.” he begs, tears streaming down his face, but the guards continue to lead him towards the carriage waiting by the foot of the stairs. 

“there’s no time, your highness. i’m sorry, but we must get going.” 

unwillingly, hyunjin climbs into the carriage, clutching the bag close to his chest as the carriage jerked forward. there’s a guard sitting across from him, looking out the other window, and hyunjin frowns, resting his head against the window beside him. 

“rest, your highness. i’ll wake you up when we arrive.” the guard says gently, and hyunjin looks at him for a moment and nods, resting his head against the window again as his eyes fluttered shut.

it’s hours before hyunjin is woken up, and when he is, he’s not amused with what he sees outside the window. 

“the countryside?” 

“yes, your highness. your parents believed it was the safest option for you.” the guard responded, hand on the door handle. he opened the door when the carriage stopped, waiting for hyunjin to step out before following him. 

“i have to stay here?” he asks, looking around. 

“yes, your highness. i’m sorry it’s not much, but it’s for the best.” the guard offers hyunjin an apologetic smile but hyunjin ignores him, eyes falling on two individuals heading his way. he takes a few steps back, standing behind one of the guards and clutching the strap of his bag tightly. 

“mr. and mrs. han.” the guard in front of him says and the two individuals bowed, the woman smiling up at him. 

“your highness, we’re honored to have you.” she has a soft voice, almost like his mother’s, and hyunjin finds some comfort in it. 

“we’ll take good care of him.” the man smiles as well, a genuine, warm smile that makes hyunjin a bit dizzy. he could never imagine his own father smiling like that.

the couple stares at him and hyunjin slowly steps to the side, bowing as well before holding a hand out. the couple shakes his hand, and the woman opens her arms for a welcoming hug. hyunjin hesitates for a moment, but ultimately accepts the hug out of politeness. 

“thank you.” he mutters, and steps to the side again, looking over at the guards. they bow and return to the carriage, waving at the prince before leaving. 

“we’re so happy to have you, your highness. we’ll take very good care of you. no harm shall come this way.” the woman speaks, taking hyunjin’s hand. he looks at her, frowning a bit when the man takes his bag. 

“let me. come, we’ll show you around.” hyunjin finds himself squeezing the woman’s hand, letting himself be pulled along as his eyes darted back and forth. 

“thank you, mrs. han, for letting me stay.” he says softly, finding it necessary to thank the couple for taking on a potentially dangerous task. 

the woman chuckles, shaking her head. 

“of course, dear. anything for the prince.” 

mr. han leads them into a small house, holding the door open for mrs. han and hyunjin to enter.

“jisung!” the woman calls out, and hyunjin’s head turns in the direction she’s facing. 

“our son, he’s been working all day.” mr. han chuckles, setting hyunjin’s bag down on the small table in the kitchen. 

hyunjin takes a moment to look around. compared to his kitchen, the couple’s kitchen is fairly small. enough space for no more than five people. it’s cozy, however, but hyunjin finds himself feeling out of place. he looks at the couple, and frowns again. mr. han has the look of a working man. his clothes are a bit dusty, he has dark hair similar to hyunjin’s, with streaks of gray here and there. he has a kind face, unlike his father, and a gentle look in his eyes. mrs. han, for some odd reason, reminds hyunjin of his own mother. she has brown hair, tied back into a long braid, with streaks of gray as well. she’s very beautiful, a matching gentle look in her eyes, a welcoming smile. hyunjin finds himself smiling, and despite feeling out of place, he feels a bit at home. 

he jumps when the door flies open, and a boy runs in, crashing right into him. he barely registers it until he feels water running down his face. 

“jisung!” mrs. han shouts, and hyunjin is beyond disgusted. the boy, jisung, he assumes, laughs a bit, running a hand through his now wet hair.

“sorry.” he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, looking up at hyunjin with an apologetic smile. hyunjin stares down at him, unamused. jisung is shorter than him, by a few inches, with a round face and big eyes. his hair is blonde, his roots black, and hyunjin wonders how he got his hair that light. he’s on the skinnier side, lanky, but he had some muscle. 

“name’s jisung.” 

“you look like a squirrel.” 

mrs. han stifles a laugh before clearing her throat and putting a hand on jisung’s shoulder.

“honey, this is the prince. he’s staying with us, remember?”

the boy’s eyes widen and he bows immediately, the tips of his ears turning red. 

“i’m so sorry, your highness. i completely forgot.”

“hyunjin.” 

all three of them look at him, and hyunjin frowns a bit, picking up his bag. 

“you can call me hyunjin, no need for formalities. especially if i’m hiding out here.” he offers a smile, looking at his now wet clothes. “could i get a change of clothes, perhaps?”

“yeah! i should have some that are big on me!” jisung takes hyunjin’s bag, motioning for him to follow. hyunjin bows slightly to jisung’s parents before following the shorter boy up the stairs. he’s led to a small bedroom, glancing between the two small beds. 

“it’s not much, i’m sorry. this is your bed.” jisung places hyunjin’s bag down on the bed. 

“who sleeps there?” hyunjin points to the other bed, curious. 

“felix.”

“where will you sleep then?”

“i’ll sleep on the floor, it’s okay.”

hyunjin shakes his head, but jisung stops him.

“seriously, it’s fine. we have a thick enough mattress. it’s nothing new. i doubt you’d want to cuddle with me.” jisung laughs, opening one of the dressers and fishing out a large tunic and a pair of trousers, handing both to hyunjin. 

hyunjin frowns again, but he takes the clothes, setting them on the bed before untying his robe, letting it fall off his shoulders to the floor. he hears a shout and jumps, turning to face the blonde with wide eyes.

“what?”

“you’re. . .shirtless!” 

hyunjin looks down before grabbing the tunic, hiding his chest and turning around. 

“sorry, i’m just used to it. the maids never really complained about it.” 

“it’s cool. no biggie.” jisung laughs nervously, and hyunjin rolls his eyes as he slips the tunic on, followed by the trousers. when he turns around, the blonde is holding out a pair of shoes.

“i’m sure you don’t want those to get dirty, right?” jisung points to hyunjin’s shoes, and the prince shrugs, taking the shoes offered to him and slipping into them. 

“so? feel like a farm boy yet?” 

“feels different. don’t really like it.”

“you’ll get used to it. come on, let me show you around.” 

jisung grabs his hand and hyunjin grimaces, but he follows the other down the stairs and outside. he pulls his arm away out of jisung’s grasp, but continues to follow him. the blonde leads him towards a large building, hyunjin assumes its a barn, and the smell that hits him is nauseating. 

“what is that?” hyunjin nearly gags, looking the barn up and down, he follows jisung inside. 

there’s another blonde boy inside, carrying a bucket and hyunjin steps away. 

“felix, hey!” jisung shouts, running up to the boy. 

the boy, felix, looks up and at hyunjin, and the prince nearly trips over his feet. felix is smaller than jisung, but not by a lot. his hair is lighter than jisung’s and he has freckles all over his face. he smiles widely at hyunjin and the prince grimaces. 

“hello.” 

“your highness! welcome!” felix sets the bucket down, bowing slightly. hyunjin continues to stare at him and jisung nudges him a bit. 

felix leads hyunjin towards one of the horses, but hyunjin keeps his distance, standing behind jisung, who laughs. 

“you’ve never ridden a horse before?” he asks, pushing hyunjin forward, and felix laughs a bit as well. 

“we’ll teach you. bella is super nice.” hyunjin watches as felix takes the reins of the white horse, leading it out of the stable and towards the exit. 

“bella is actually the sweetest horse here. we’ve had her since she was a little baby.” felix explains, grabbing a bunch of hay on his way out and feeding the horse. hyunjin really doesn’t care, but he can’t really run away, so he follows after the blonde again, listening. 

“go on, touch her.” jisung grins, taking hyunjin’s hand and placing it on the horse’s neck. hyunjin grimaces a bit, but hesitantly, he runs his hand across the horses’s neck, watching as jisung braided a few of the strands of hair. felix offers hyunjin a friendly smile before running back to the barn.

“so, you just gotta put one foot on the foot rest closest to you, and then swing your other leg over and you’re set!” felix returns with a saddle in his hands, setting it on the horse’s back gently and adjusting it. 

“are you serious?”

“mhm! try it! it’s super fun.” jisung eggs him on and hyunjin scoffs, grabbing hold of the reins and putting one foot on the foot rest like he was told, swinging his other leg over and sitting down. he grips the reins tightly when the horse shuffles a bit, letting out a soft yelp. 

“you’ll be fine! trust me!” jisung taps the horse’s behind, and suddenly the horse starts running. hyunjin shouts in surprise, and the horse begins running faster, scaring the prince even more. he could hear jisung and felix screaming behind him and he turns his head, watching as the two ran after him. he grips onto the reins tighter, eyes shutting out of fear, yet it did nothing for him as the horse stood up on its back legs, and hyunjin found himself flat on the ground. 

“oh my god, are you okay?” jisung was first to get to him, and hyunjin let out a groan. his head was spinning and his back hurt from the fall. 

“bella! no! down girl!” felix shouts, grabbing onto the reins and running a hand through the horse’s mane, calming the animal down. 

hyunjin opens his eyes slowly, only to be met with jisung’s face staring down at him and he shoves the other away, rolling to the side and pushing himself up on his feet. he scowls, shoving the blonde a bit. 

“are you okay-”

“fine. i would like to shower.” hyunjin huffs and jisung looks at felix, who gives him a shrug, leading bella back to the barn. 

jisung reaches for hyunjin’s hand slowly, but stops himself, instead motioning for the other to follow him. they part ways with felix at the barn, and hyunjin doesn’t say much until they get back into the house. silently, jisung leads him upstairs and to the bathroom, showing him how the system works before hyunjin is left alone. 

he stares at himself in the mirror, fingers running over his cheek were dirt had settled. he cringes, kicking his shoos off and peeling off the tunic and trousers, tossing them on the floor. he turns the water on, watching as the bath filled up slowly. he strips of his underwear as well, tossing it in the pile of clothes before stepping into the bath, turning the running water off. he leans against the edge, closing his eyes, before sinking under the water for a moment. when he resurfaces, hyunjin pushes his hair back, reaching for the small bar of soap resting on a small mount on the wall. he sits up, lathering up his hands before washing his hair gently. 

“hey, here’s a towel-” jisung’s voice breaks the silence, and hyunjin turns around to see the blonde standing at the door, face flushing as they make eye contact with one another. hyunjin shrugs and turns back around, watching the way jisung quickly places the towel down and runs out. 

when he’s finished, hyunjin wraps the towel around his waist, and it takes him a few minutes to figure out how to drain the bath before he leaves the bathroom, walking into his new bedroom. he looks around for a moment, finding a fresh pair of clothes waiting for him on the bed. he smiles a bit and dries himself off, getting dressed quickly. he admires himself in the mirror, something he’s grateful for. the new tunic is simple, and it reminds him of his own; white long sleeve with a collar and a criss cross tie-off. his pants are soft and warm, and hyunjin finds himself smiling in the mirror. 

“you look nice, your highness.”

hyunjin jumps a bit, head turning and eyes falling on felix, who’s standing by the door. 

“thank you. and you can call me hyunjin, you shouldn’t really refer to me as royalty while i’m here.”

“ahh, you’re right. my apologies.” he walks into the room, setting a small bag down on the other bed and sitting down. hyunjin watches him through the mirror, quirking a brow. 

“come, sit.” felix motions for him to come over, tapping the space in front of him. hyunjin hesitantly approaches him, sitting in front of the blonde. felix turns him around and hyunjin waits, curious. 

he feels bristles in his hair and he turns, only for felix to show him a brush he’s holding. 

“let me. it’s okay.” 

it’s silent for a few minutes before hyunjin reaches for the bag, untying the strings. 

“what’s in here?”

“take a look.” 

hyunjin flips the bag upside down, dumping out its contents. a bunch of rocks fall onto the bed, multi-colored and varying in shapes and sizes. he picks up a light purple one, inspecting it in the light. 

“amethyst, right?”

“mhm, it’s for jisung’s mom. she loves amethyst.”

“jisung’s mom?”

“mhm.”

hyunjin wants to question it, but he keeps his mouth shut. he opts for looking at the rest of the rocks. 

“i’m not really part of the family.” felix speaks up after a few minutes, his voice soft. hyunjin can feel him braiding his hair, but he doesn’t comment on it. 

“what do you mean?”

felix inhales. 

“i used to live in the south, by the sea. i was born in a port, but my parents were extremely poor. they had to choose between taking care of me and starving or working and providing for each other. i don’t blame them. i understand why they did it. i was found by jisung’s parents a few weeks later. they were down there selling their crops, and they took me in. jisung and i are the same age, so we’re sort of like twins. we’re really close.”

hyunjin frowns. he’s never really understood how poverty could exist when he and his family lived so lavishly. he finds it difficult to look at felix and focuses on putting the rocks back into the bag. 

“you don’t have to feel bad, you know. it’s not your fault my parents were poor. the south isn’t very well off, anyway. they rely on a lot of trading from up here, there’s not much they can do down there except wait for ships to dock and bring new things.” 

hyunjin nods, but he still feels guilt weigh him down. 

“hey,” felix taps his shoulder, and hyunjin turns around slowly, looking at him with sad eyes. “jisung and i are happy how we are. you’re not to blame for the way others are living. your kingdom is the most tolerable, compared to others. the west is completely bankrupt, and the north has been mistreating their citizens for years. your parents are doing great. i’m telling the truth because i see it. they’re trying their best and the citizens know they’re in good hands.” 

hyunjin continues to stare at him, feeling tears form in his eyes at the other’s words. he flinches a bit when felix reaches out, but he let him wipe his tears away. 

“we respect you, jisung and i. and his parents. jisung always talks about how pretty you are and how much he’s dreamed of meeting you. he really likes you, you know. i know he’s clumsy and loud, but give him a chance. he’s a good kid, and he looks up to you. he has a lot of faith in you.”

it’s silent again until hyunjin hears footsteps and he looks at the door just as jisung walks in. 

“oooh, lixie, the braid looks super pretty! mom says dinner’s ready!” 

hyunjin reaches back, touching the braid gently, and he smiles, thanking felix quietly before getting up. he follows the two boys down the stairs, and sits down at one of the empty seats. mrs. han brings out a large pot of stew, and hyunjin watches the way the two boys’ faces light up. 

“special occasion, special food!” the boys cheer, standing up with their bowls, and hyunjin watches as mrs. han fills each one with the stew. he hands her his own bowl, and thanks her softly when she hands it back to him. 

he eats silently, just like at home, not really one for dinner conversations. he chooses to listen to jisung’s father talk about the market, the new fruits that had been brought in, the new merchants that had opened shop, local news. 

“jisung, you should take hyunjin to the village one day. show him around.” mrs. han suggested, looking between hyunjin and jisung, who nodded. 

hyunjin hums in response, and watches as mrs. han stands up, collecting all of the bowls. he pushes his chair back, helping her, but she waves him off, shaking her head. 

“no no, dear, sit! you’re our guest!” 

“i want to help, i haven’t ever done this. i don’t really know how it all works.”

mrs. han gives him a sympathetic look, and he starts walking around the table, collecting as many empty plates and bowls as he can. he follows mrs. han into the kitchen, copying her movements and setting the plates down into the sink. 

“could i wash them?” he asks softly, staring at the growing mountain of dishes. 

“are you sure?” 

“mhm.” 

“okay dear.” mrs. han turns the water on for him, quickly showing him how she washed the dishes before leaving him alone. upon first touching the dirty dishes, hyunjin cringes, yet he washes them anyway, not wanting to be disrespectful. he slowly finds himself smiling, feeling more and more relaxed as time passed. he could hear felix and jisung laughing from the living area, yelling about some sort of game. 

there’s only a few bowls and utensils left in the sink when hyunjin hears jisung’s voice.

“hey, do you wanna go for a walk? the sky is clear tonight.” the blonde leans against the doorframe, a hopeful look in his eyes. 

“sure, i just have to finish-”

“go, go. i can finish up, there’s not much left anyway.” mrs. han shoos him away from the sink, handing him a rag to wipe his hands. 

jisung grins, waiting patiently before offering a hand to the dark haired male, hyunjin taking it hesitantly. he follows jisung out the back door, and they follow a path. there’s lanterns hanging from posts every few yards to light up their path, and hyunjin finds himself admiring the details on each one. it’s silent for a few minutes before jisung tugs on his arm, pointing up to a shooting star.

“make a wish.” 

hyunjin stops, closing his eyes. 

_i want to live._

“look, that’s hercules.” 

hyunjin opens his eyes, following jisung’s finger to a cluster of stars, and he nods. 

“that’s orion over there.” hyunjin points behind the blonde, and jisung turns around to look. 

“you know your constellations too?”

“mhm. i used to read about them in the library. we have a telescope that i used to look through with my mother.”

“oh wow. . . i’m so jealous.” jisung’s eyes widen, and when hyunjin looks at him, it’s like his own personal constellation in his eyes. he freezes once he sees jisung start to lean forward, his own eyes widening in surprise and he puts his hands out, stopping the other. 

“what are you doing?”

“there’s a bug in your hair.” jisung says softly, reaching up to pick it up, setting it down in his palm. 

hyunjin scrunches his nose as he looks down at it. 

“ew.”

“it’s a firefly. completely harmless. there’s tons around us.” jisung watches as the bug flies away, looking up at hyunjin and it’s silent again. 

they stare at each other for a few moments, hyunjin feeling his face turn hot. he only moves back when jisung clears his throat, pointing back at the house. 

“you must be tired. let’s get some sleep. next week, i'll take you to the market. there's gonna be a festival."

“a festival?”

“mhm. for your birthday.” 

hyunjin stares at him in shock, face flushing even more. 

“is it really?”

“mhm. you forgot about your own birthday?” jisung asks, shocked. 

“i must’ve gotten caught up in everything. oh my god. . .”

“it’s okay.” jisung laughs, leading the prince back into the house. 

when they come back, the living area is empty, dark except for the small lantern resting on the dinner table. 

“come on.” jisung leads him up the stairs quietly and towards the shared bedroom. 

felix is reading a book when they walk in, and he slowly closes it, putting it on the bedside table when he sees them.

“hey.” 

“hey lix. you almost done with that?” 

“yeah, it’s not the best, but it’ll do.”

hyunjin takes notice of the pile of blankets on the floor, for jisung, he assumes. he frowns, noticing how thin it was. he lets go of jisung’s hand and walks towards his bed, sitting down slowly and slipping off his shoes, setting them aside. he places his bag down on the floor beside the bed, carefully taking out the braid in his hair. 

“thank you for braiding my hair.” he says softly, looking at felix, who flashes a bright smile in return. 

“i’ll redo it in the morning, if you want.” 

“okay.” 

felix gets up as jisung lies down, walking towards the dresser and opening the top drawer. he pulls out a small candle and matches, placing the candle in the candle holder sitting on top of the dresser. hyunjin watches as felix lights the candle, setting the matches aside before slipping back under the covers.

“are you guys sure you’re comfortable? i still feel bad-”

“don’t, it’s okay. you’re our guest. it’s okay.” jisung shakes his head, sitting up on the floor. he offers hyunjin a big smile, reaching to pull off his shirt and tossing it aside before lying down. hyunjin stares at him, looking up when he hears felix giggle slightly. 

he lies down after a few seconds, pulling the blanket over himself and turning to face the wall. after what felt like only minutes, he could already hear what he assumed to be jisung snoring and he sits up, looking down at the male before looking over at the other bed where felix was also sound asleep. he turns to look out the window, twisting his mother’s ring around her finger before looking down, fiddling with the engagement ring. it felt heavy on his finger, like something that wasn’t supposed to be there. as much as hyunjin tried to think of it as just a simple promise ring, something for him to think about, he knew that seungmin’s intentions were different. no matter how hard he tried, he knew the ring signified their engagement. 

with a sigh, he lies back down, turning to the wall again and closing his eyes. he soon drifts off to sleep, fingers clutching the blankets tightly. 


	2. Part Two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, sorry for the wait ): i've been working on the chapter on and off because of writer's block, along with school, and i've been getting new fic ideas already. i've started working on one recently, and it's halfway done so i hope to put it out some point soon!! i hope you guys enjoy this chapter, things are starting to get intense

a week had passed since his arrival and when hyunjin wakes up, felix and jisung are still asleep, like always. it took the prince a few days to adjust to the new routine, but he found himself getting up early the past few days. jisung and felix were heavy sleepers, he noticed right away, and they always slept until late morning.

he carefully slips out of bed, tiptoeing around jisung, who still insists on sleeping on the floor, and rummaging through the dresser to find a new set of clothes. he was still borrowing jisung’s, yet the blonde didn’t mind, insisting that he had enough large clothes to fit hyunjin. after finding clothes he was content with, hyunjin quickly slips into the bathroom, washing his face and tying his hair back. 

once he’s done, he quietly heads to the kitchen, finding mrs. han already working on breakfast, like always.

“good morning.”

“hello dear. how’d you sleep?” she asks, a warm smile on her face. 

“good! although jisung does snore a bit.” he laughs softly, not wanting to insult her son. 

“i’m so sorry. i’ve talked to him about it.”

“no no, it’s okay! i used to sleep with a dog so I don’t mind it much.” 

mrs. han looks at him before turning back to the bread she’s currently cutting into slices. 

“i hope you like eggs.”

“i love them. do you need help with anything?” he asks, looking around the kitchen, eyes falling on a bowl of fresh fruit. “should i place these on the table?”

“that would be lovely.”

he smiles, picking the bowl up and carrying it to the table, setting it down in the middle. he hears the back door open and turns to look at mr. han, bowing slightly. 

“good morning.”

“hello hyunjin. none of that silliness, i told you. you don’t need to bow.” he places a hand on hyunjin’s shoulder when the male straightens himself back up. 

“my apologies. it’s just instinct.” 

“it’s alright, son. are jisung and felix still asleep?” 

“mhm. i wasn’t sure if i should wake them or not.”

“that’s alright. they’ll be up soon.” 

hyunjin nods, rocking on his heels a bit. mr. han looks him up and down for a moment before speaking up. 

“would you like to help me with something?”

“sure.” 

he follows jisung’s father outside, towards a small shack. he quirks a brow when mr. han hands him a pair of gloves, and he laughs softly as he puts on a pair of his own. 

“the chickens we raise laid their eggs yesterday and we always have fresh eggs for breakfast. would you like to see them?” he opens the fence gate, letting hyunjin in first before following after him. when hyunjin walks in, his eyes widen. there’s chickens everywhere. rows of chickens and nests everywhere, and he nearly trips over when one of them comes up to him. 

“they won’t hurt you. just look for eggs that aren’t cracked yet.” mr. han says reassuringly, placing a hand on hyunjin’s shoulder again. 

the prince nods and does as told, walking around the chickens and looking at the nests. he finds a few that aren’t cracked, handing them to jisung’s father. they search for a bit more before leaving the small shack, and mr. han leads hyunjin back to the house, telling hyunjin about the all the crops he sold yesterday. 

when they enter the house, hyunjin is met with shouts and screams. mrs. han is standing in the middle of the living area with a small cake in her hands, and jisung and felix are throwing streamers and jumping up and down. 

“happy birthday!” they all shout, and hyunjin smiles widely. he leans towards the cake, closing his eyes for a moment before blowing out the singular candle. when he opens his eyes, a few tears stream down his face, and he quickly wipes them away. 

“oh dear-” mrs. han shakes her head, setting the cake down before pulling hyunjin into a tight hug, felix’s arms following after. soon enough, the entire family is hugging hyunjin tightly, mrs. han kissing his forehead when they all pulled away.

hyunjin helps jisung’s mother make breakfast and set the table, and despite his morals, he has two slices of the cake, glaring at jisung when he laughs at him. 

when they finish, hyunjin insists on helping with dishes, but mrs. han kicks him out of the kitchen and he has no choice but to follow jisung to the barn. 

“we’re gonna go see some friends.” the blonde says as he leads him towards the horses. hyunjin hesitates upon seeing bella, and jisung chuckles softly. 

“don’t worry, you’ll ride with me. bella is with felix today.” he reassures the other, heading towards the back of the barn. he walks by hyunjin with a saddle, walking towards a black horse. he places the saddle on the horse’s back, adjusting it before turning to hyunjin with a big smile. 

“alright, ready?”

“no.”

jisung laughs again and helps hyunjin onto the horse, the prince whining as he climbs onto the saddle. he grips onto the reins tightly, yelping when he sees jisung climb on behind him. 

“alright baby, let’s go.” the blonde grabs the reins from hyunjin, directing the horse out of the barn and hyunjin closes his eyes in fear, feeling the horse start to pick up speed.

“jisung. jisung-”

“it’s okay. i got you. i won’t let you fall.” he shudders when he feels jisung’s breath on his neck, turning back to look at the other. he receives a reassuring smile, and instantly, he feels warmth spread through his body. he looks down just in time to see one of jisung’s arms wrapping around his waist, and his face flushes quickly. 

they ride in silence, the soft breeze hitting hyunjin’s face and making his hair fly in every which way. there’s an open field stretching for miles no matter which direction he looks in, yet slowly, he starts to make out a building. another barn eventually comes into view and jisung pulls on the reins to slow the horse down. 

jisung all but jumps off the horse, landing on the grass with a ‘thud’. he holds out a hand, helping hyunjin off the horse before tying the reins to a nearby fence post. 

“where are we?” hyunjin asks, fixing his hair and looking around. 

“chan!” jisung shouts, looking around. he runs his fingers through his hair before starting to walk down the path. hyunjin jogs after him, staying close to the other and reaching out to grab jisung’s shirt. 

jisung laughs, waving his arm once he spots whoever he’s looking for. he runs, leaving hyunjin behind. the prince sighs, following after the other. he watches jisung race towards a blonde man, quirking a brow in curiosity. 

“jisung, hi!” the blonde, chan, grins, dropping the stack of hay he was carrying to hug jisung. 

“chan, this is hyunjin.” the blonde motions to the prince, who bows politely and offers a gentle smile. 

chan stares at him, and hyunjin begins to feel a bit uneasy. the longer he looks at chan, the more he feels like he’d seen him before. chan sticks a hand out, and hesitantly, hyunjin shakes it. 

“the prince?”

“yeah! he’s staying with us.”

“jisung. . . are you sure it’s okay for others to know who i am?” hyunjin asks quietly, unable to tear his eyes away from chan. 

“you can trust me, your highness. i’m not going to shout it from the rooftop.” chan chuckles, lifting the haystack and tossing it aside. 

“you can just call me hyunjin. preferably, please.” 

“my apologies.”

chan walks away for a moment to grab another stack of hay, and hyunjin turns to jisung, who stares up at him. 

“he looks familiar. something about him just feels. . . weird.” 

“chan? maybe it’s the dad aura he gives off. he’s a couple years older than me and felix. you can trust him, promise.”

hyunjin sighs, looking at chan, who smiles at him again. he feels his face flush a bit, turning back to look at jisung. 

“he’s good looking. . .” hyunjin mutters, biting his lip and jisung laughs. 

“damn right he’s good looking.” his words are repeated by an unfamiliar voice and hyunjin barely has time to look up when an arrow whizzes by his head and he feels the color drain from his face. another man, a bit shorter than hyunjin, approaches them, gripping a bow in his hand. he’s scowling and hyunjin flinches, covering his face in fear of being hit.

“minho, baby, please.” hyunjin hears chan run over, and when he looks up, the new man, minho, is thrown over chan’s shoulder, his bow dropping to the ground. 

jisung erupts into laughter, collapsing to the ground and clutching his sides. hyunjin frowns, staring at the blonde before looking at minho. 

“sorry about him. he get’s a bit. . . possessive. . .” chan mutters, setting minho down slowly and holding the archer back. 

“who does he think he is, huh?”

“minho, love, that’s the prince.” 

minho stares at him, and hyunjin feels uneasy again. jisung gets up, brushing his pants off and takes hyunjin’s hand into his own. 

“shit. . .” minho bends down and picks up his bow. “i’m sorry. . . your highness.” 

hyunjin only nods, looking down at the ground. he can feel chan’s eyes on him, and he lets out a soft sigh.

“please call me hyunjin. it’s okay.” 

minho nods silently, and walks past hyunjin to collect his arrow, placing it in his quiver before walking off, chan following. 

“are you taking hyunjin to the market today?” chan asks as they walk.

“mhm, i wanted to show him the festival.” jisung responds, taking hyunjin’s hand in his own. 

hyunjin, surprisingly, doesn’t mind the gesture, and lets jisung swing their hands back and forth as they walk. it’s quiet for a bit until they reach another building similar to jisung’s house. chan splits from them, walking into the house, leaving minho to face hyunjin once more. 

“what brings you guys here?”

“mom said you guys had fresh strawberries.” 

minho laughs and nods, sitting down on the steps of the porch and pulling out a handkerchief to clean his bow. chan returns a few minutes later, carrying a small sack. 

“strawberries from mom.”

“yes, thank you!” jisung takes the sack with a childly giggle. hyunjin stares at him, finding himself smiling as well. when he turns his head, he catches minho staring at him again, and his smile changes into a frown. 

“you’re gonna take him to town like that?”

“huh?” 

“everyone is going to recognize him, sung. did you think about that?” minho stands up, pointing to hyunjin’s black hair.

jisung stares at him, biting his lip for a moment and his face flushes. 

“didn’t think that one through.”

chan laughs, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“why don’t you just dye his hair?”

hyunjin nearly trips over his feet, eyes widening in fear. 

“d-dye my hair?” 

jisung jumps up, clapping his hands. 

“yeah, yeah! you’d look so good with blonde hair!” 

“b-blonde?” 

chan laughs again, followed by minho. 

“it’ll fade over time, it’s not permanent. just a temporary change. jisung and felix use it all the time.” 

“mhm, i’m due for another dye job anyway.” jisung runs a hand through his hair, and when hyunjin looks at him, he can see the way the other’s roots are threatening to show. 

“are you sure?”

“mhm. we’ll help you out.”

hyunjin hesitantly nods, and chan leads them into the house, jisung taking his hand once again. hyunjin looks around, feeling himself grow more and more nervous as the seconds passed. 

“don’t worry, mom and dad aren’t home.” chan says, opening a cabinet. he rummages through a bunch of small sacks, grabbing a wooden box and setting it down on the counter. 

“this plant we grow has dying properties. you crush the leaves and mix the powder with water and put it in your hair.” 

hyunjin nods slowly, watching as jisung sat in one of the chairs. hyunjin sits down across from him, tapping his fingers nervously against the wood. minho grabs a large bowl, holding it under the sink and filling it up. he sets the bowl down on the table, and chan unties the strings of the sack. minho hands him a spoon and he scoops out the powder bit by bit, adding it to the bowl of water and stirring until the water is a light yellow. minho disappears for a couple minutes and returns with two rags. he walks up to hyunjin, carefully wrapping the rag around his neck and tucking the material into his shirt. 

“to avoid dying your clothes.” minho explains as he does the same to jisung, who looks giddy and practically jumping out of his seat. 

“shit, that’s all the powder. . .” chan mutters, holding the sack above the bowl, watching as the last bit of powder fell into the water. 

hyunjin leans forward, looking into the bowl with a curious look in his eyes. he can feel jisung’s eyes on him and he tries not to look up, instead taking the spoon on the table and stirring the water. he hums to himself, and jumps when he feels a hand in his hair. 

“your hair is so pretty.” minho whispers, and hyunjin turns around to look up at the male. 

“it’s getting long.” jisung comments, leaning forward and blowing lightly on the water. “we should cut it.”

“no! i don’t want to. i like it like this, it’s different. . . mother never let me grow it out. she said i looked shaggy.” 

jisung snorts and shakes his head. 

“what’s so funny?”

jisung gets up from his chair and leans even further over the table, reaching out to grab a few strands of hyunjin’s hair. 

“you don’t look shaggy with long hair. if anything, you look even more princely.” 

“don’t say that.”

“it’s true though. i don’t think you know how pretty you are, hyunjin.” 

hyunjin stares at him, eyes widening slowly. 

“shut up.”

“it’s true, you’re really beautiful, hyunjin. it’s not even because you’re royalty. it’s just. . . different. you have a different beauty. . .”

hyunjin’s face heats up and he looks away, putting his hands on his cheeks. jisung’s face heats up as well and he sits back down, looking out the window. chan laughs from somewhere in the kitchen and minho clears his throat awkwardly. when hyunjin turns his head, minho has his arms wrapped around chan, resting his chin on the other’s shoulder. minho is kissing chan’s cheek and jaw and they’re whispering about something, the tips of chan’s ears and the back of minho’s neck bright red. it’s so domestic, something hyunjin isn’t quite used to seeing. 

hyunjin continues to stare at them, curiosity getting the best of him. chan turns around at some point, a big smile on his face and hyunjin notices the uneven dimples on the man’s face. minho pinches his cheeks, placing his hands on chan’s face. they stare at each other and eventually, chan leans in and kisses minho and hyunjin’s face heats up even more. 

after a few minutes, jisung clears his throat and tosses an apple at the two.

“are you two done?”

hyunjin looks away, eyes falling to the floor as chan and minho separate. chan coughs awkwardly and minho glares at jisung before pulling away from chan, walking towards the table and smacking jisung upside the head. hyunjin finds himself giggling, but he stops once he meets minho’s eyes. 

chan splits the water in the bowl into two smaller bowls, pushing one towards jisung, and the other towards hyunjin.

“alright, you’re gonna submerge your hair for a bit and it’s gonna soak up the natural dye, alright?” chan walks hyunjin through the process while minho helps jisung, making sure the boy’s face isn’t in the water. 

hyunjin soon follows after, standing up and bending over to drop his head. he watches as the black strands fall into the water, and his hands grip the edge of the table as he waits. he can hear the faucet running behind him, and minho’s hushed voice as he starts talking with chan again. 

after a while, he hears jisung speak. he must’ve lifted his head already. hyunjin decides to wait a bit longer seeing as his hair is longer. he drowns out the voices, closing his eyes and thinking of his family. what his mother would think of him growing his hair out and dying it. what his father would think of him becoming a farm boy. 

he feels a tap on his shoulder soon after and lifts his head out of the water, hair dripping and he watches as chan wraps a washcloth around his hair. he looks around. jisung is standing over the faucet, minho helping him rinse his hair out. the strands already look blonde, especially the roots. 

slowly, chan help him over to the faucet after jisung sits down, and hyunjin bends over the counter, letting chan rinse his hair the same way minho did with jisung’s. when he stands up, hyunjin tries his hair carefully, frowning. 

“what’s the problem?” jisung asks, walking over and looking up at the other. 

“i need a hairbrush. . .” 

minho snorts and chan nudges him. hyunjin feels his face grow hot. 

“i just don’t. . . don’t like my hair in knots.”

minho disappears for a moment, and returns with a comb, sitting on the couch in the living area. 

“sit.” 

he points to the floor and hyunjin hesitantly sits down in front of him. he can feel chan and jisung watching, but he remains silent. minho starts to comb through his hair and hyunjin frowns a bit more, surprised at the gentle touch from the other. he doesn’t realize he’s tearing up until jisung is sitting in front of him, wiping his tears away. 

“hey, hey, are you okay?” he asks quietly, chewing on his lip nervously. 

hyunjin stares at him, wiping his eyes quickly before nodding. 

“just thought of my parents. . .” 

minho stops for a moment, and hyunjin sniffles, wiping his eyes again. 

“my mother would brush my hair a lot of the time. . . it just reminded me of her a bit. i’m sorry.” he whispered, hiding his face in his hands. 

minho laughs softly, and hyunjin can feel him start to braid his hair. 

“it’s okay, i’ve been told i have a very motherly presence.” 

hyunjin nods and smiles a bit, and for a moment, his eyes meet chan’s, and he gets a strange feeling in his chest. minho ties his hair back, tapping the top of hyunjin’s head and getting up. 

“all done.”

“you look so much more elegant now!” jisung shouts, clapping his hands before handing hyunjin a mirror. when he looks at his reflection, hyunjin sees a completely different person. his hair is blonde and pulled back in two small braids, and his eyes stand out more now. 

“i like it, thank you.” he turns to chan and minho, handing the mirror back. 

“will you guys stay for lunch? there’s chicken.” minho asks, putting the mirror on the couch beside him. 

hyunjin looks over at jisung, who nods. 

“of course we’ll stay, stupid.”

“could i help with anything?” hyunjin asks almost immediately. it’s become a habit to help set the table and clean it, though minho shakes his head and leads jisung towards the kitchen. hyunjin follows but he’s pulled back by chan, who motions towards the back door. 

“could i steal you for a bit?”

hyunjin follows after him, and chan leads him out to a small garden right outside the kitchen. they walk around in silence until chan speaks up. 

“jisung told me what happened. . .”

“when?”

chan looks at him, frowning a bit.

“he was here a couple days ago, he had to pick something up and he just filled me in.”

“oh.” 

hyunjin fiddles with the hem of his shirt, sighing softly. 

“i’m sorry. it must be hard without your parents.”

hyunjin sniffles, feeling tears form in his eyes again and he wipes them away once he feels chan rubbing his back. 

“i just miss them. i hope they’re okay, i don’t want them getting hurt because of me. . .”

“hey, it’s okay to miss them. i’m sure they miss you just as much, if not more. i can’t imagine how they felt sending you away to some unknown place. giving your kid up like that is never easy, hyunjin.”

hyunjin breaks down then, covering his face in his hands as tears stream down his face. he lets chan pull him into a hug, hiding his face in the other’s chest. it’s quiet for a few minutes until chan speaks again.

“i know it won’t help much, but i was separated from my parents when i was three. i don’t remember much. . .every now and then i think about them. how much they must miss me, if they’re even alive. . .” 

hyunjin looks up at him, wiping his eyes again. 

“i’m sorry. . .”

chan laughs softly, though there’s a sad look in his eyes. 

“it’s okay. it’s not anyone’s fault. . .” 

it’s quiet for a bit until hyunjin hears tapping on glass, and both him and chan turn to look at the window. minho waves for them to come in and hyunjin nods, wiping his eyes one more time before following chan inside. the table is set for four people, a few bowls of food in the center. jisung is already eating, hyunjin can tell he’s hungry, though minho starts scolding him the minute he sees the blonde with a full plate.

“can’t you wait?”

jisung shrugs and bites back a laugh, mouth full. 

“leave him alone, it’s okay.” chan laughs softly, patting the blonde’s back before taking a seat beside jisung. 

minho is still setting the table when hyunjin sits down, and he tries to get up to help, but minho forces him to stay seated. 

“it’s only one more plate, i can handle it.” 

hyunjin flushes a bit, looking down at his plate before slowly reaching out to grab some food. it’s quiet for a few moments until minho speaks up softly, asking hyunjin about his life before coming to jisung’s farm. 

“what’s the palace like?”

hyunjin sets his fork down, chewing on the inside of his cheek for a moment.

“it’s large, kind of empty, for the most part. i sent a lot of time in the library, i liked to read since there wasn’t really much to do other than study with my teacher. i had a close friend too, he’s a guard. we sort of grew up together in a way.” 

all three of them are staring at hyunjin, listening intently as he speaks, so he decides to continue. 

“i have. . .had a dog. kkami. i got him when i was sixteen.” 

“i used to have a dog too.” chan said softly, a smile on his face. “his name was berry.” 

“berry?” minho repeats, eyes widening. “i didn’t know you had a dog.” 

chan laughs and goes back to eating. 

“is it true that you’re required to learn different forms of dancing?” minho asks after a while, and hyunjin nods with a smile. 

“i love dancing. i enjoyed it from a young age, actually. it was a nice way to relieve stress, or just to avoid boredom.”

“are you going to the festival tonight?” chan asks and jisung nods. 

“you should show us some moves there, then.”

hyunjin nods and falls silent, finishing his food. the silence is comforting, though it’s broken a few minutes later when jisung gets up with his empty plate, shouting ‘thank you’ to minho before running to the sink and putting his dishes away. he flops on the couch in the living area, closing his eyes. 

chan gets up soon after, followed by minho. hyunjin gets up as well, determind to help clean the table off, at least. he fights minho over it, and ends up getting away with it due to his incessant begging. 

he can hear chan and jisung talking while he helps minho wash the dishes and put them away in their respective cabinets.

“are you and chan together?” hyunjin asks, curiosity getting the best of him. 

minho stares at him for a moment before laughing softly. 

“what gave it away?”

“the kissing and affection.”

“ahhh. . . sorry about that.”

“it’s okay, i was just wondering. i didn’t know that was acceptable.”

minho nearly drops the plate in his hand, eyes widening for a moment. 

“what do you mean?”

hyunjin flushes, looking away. 

“well, i’ve never seen two boys kiss. it’s just different to me.”

“ahhh, i see.” 

they look at each other for a couple seconds before chan interrupts, knocking on the wall lightly. 

“you two okay?”

minho looks at him and smiles, nodding. 

“everything’s okay. hyunjin just had a revelation.”

“a revelation?”

“mhm. he didn’t think boys could kiss each other.”

“ohh. . .”

chan laughs and hyunjin frowns, putting the plate in his hands away before reaching up to touch his hair. jisung walks in a couple minutes later, staring at hyunjin. 

“umm. . .we gotta get home. kinda wanted to nap for a bit before going to the festival.” 

hyunjin nods and walks towards jisung. he watches out of the corner of his eye as chan walks towards minho and wraps an arm around his waist. he doesn’t comment on it, instead bowing slightly before saying thank you. minho and chan both laugh, shaking their heads in sync, and jisung leads him out the front door, the sack of strawberries in his hand. 

“i like them. chan and minho. they’re super nice.”

“yeah, they are.” jisung agrees, handing the sack to hyunjin once they approach their horse. as jisung unties the reins from the fence, hyunjin grabs a couple strawberries, feeding the horse before catching jisung staring at him. 

“sorry, i thought he might be hungry. . .”

“it’s okay, i was gonna feed him when we came home anyway.” jisung laughs, climbing onto the horse before helping hyunjin up. as they ride back, hyunjin notices the lack of fear, though his grip on jisung’s waist tightens subtly. 

when they get back, hyunjin waits for jisung to take the saddle off the horse and put it away before walking into the house with him. jisung’s parents are out, and felix is knocked out on the couch, a small cat resting on his chest.

“is that yours?” hyunjin asks, pointing to the feline. 

“oh, that’s just a stray. felix keeps feeding it so it keeps coming back. i don’t know why he doesn’t just keep it at this point.” jisung shrugs, setting the sack of berries on the table before stretching. 

hyunjin reaches to pet the cat gently, careful not to wake either the cat nor felix up before turning to jisung, who’s staring at him. 

“i don’t know about you, but i would love to take a nap. gotta conserve my energy for the festival tonight.”

“you barely did anything today.”

“so?”

hyunjin laughs and jisung continues to stare at him, a confused look on his face. he shrugs again before going up the stairs, hyunjin in tow. 

“you don’t have to keep sleeping on the floor, you know.” hyunjin mutters while he fixes his blankets. 

“i don’t mind it.”

“i know you don’t, but i don’t know how long i’m staying here, i don’t want you hurting your back. you can have your bed back.”

“i can just share with felix.”

“i doubt he’d want to. i’ve seen him move in his sleep. you’d end up on the floor anyway.”

jisung lets out a loud laugh, shaking his head. 

“you’re right, i would. are you suggesting we share?”

hyunjin flushes again and turns away from jisung, clearing his throat.

“i don’t. . . i don’t mind it. i’ve cuddled with my dog before.”

“yeah well, in case you forgot, i’m not a dog.”

“you’re right. you’re a squirrel.”

when hyunjin faces him, jisung’s mouth his wide open and he stares at hyunjin in shock. 

“how dare you?”

hyunjin flinches when he sees the blonde run at him, letting out a shout of surprise when he’s knocked over onto the bed. jisung’s fingers are running all over his sides, tickling him and showing no signs of stopping, and hyunjin all but shrieks, wrestling the smaller boy off him. he manages to flip them over, though jisung is quick to retaliate and hit his arm, making hyunjin lose his balance and fall, giving jisung the upper hand again. hyunjin laughs until he’s crying, and jisung finally stops his tickling, staring down at hyunjin. 

“what?”

“nothing, you’re just really pretty.”

it’s silent again, a comfortable silence though, and hyunjin flushes even more. he locks eyes with jisung, only for a moment, but even in the unlit room, he could see the other’s irises sparkling. he’s pulled back from his wandering when jisung clears his throat, lying down right beside hyunjin and snuggling right into his side.

“feel free to push me off if you’re uncomfortable.”

hyunjin stares at him, watching as jisung’s eyes close. he counts the seconds until he hears the other snoring, which, to his surprise, doesn’t take that long. it doesn’t take long for hyunjin to fall asleep either, closing his eyes and drifting off. 

when hyunjin wakes up, jisung is still snuggled up against him, his face buried in hyunjin’s neck. hyunjn lies still, staring up at the ceiling until he feels jisung shift beside him. 

“what time is it?”

jisung sits up slowly, his hair disheveled. hyunjin doesn’t answer, instead responding with a yawn. 

“oh, it’s almost time to go. perfect.” 

jisung turns to face hyunjin and they stare at each other for a moment. the room is silent until the door opens and felix sticks his head in. 

“hey lovebirds, it’s almost time to go.” 

jisung scrambles to get off the bed, his foot getting caught in the blanket and he trips, falling onto the ground. felix laughs as hyunjin jumps to his feet, bending down and making sure the other is okay. jisung is laughing, to hyunjin’s surprise, and he pulls himself up using hyunjin’s help. hyunjin huffs, reaching out for the other and shaking his head. 

“your hair's a mess.”

“and yours isnt?”

“no.”

jisung huffs but lets hyunjin fix his hair. hyunjin pushes it back gently, running to the bathroom to wet his hands before returning to flatten his hair down even more.

“now you look presentable.”

jisung shoves him lightly and they both go downstairs, greeted by jisung’s parents and felix. 

“you two lovebirds ready to go?” felix teases, and jisung chases him outside. 

hyunjin follows, but he stops when he looks at jisung’s parents, his face flushing. 

“you’ll be okay, right?” mrs. han asks, standing up slowly to hug him.

hyunjin nods, returning the hug and smiling at her before running after the two. when he finally finds them, jisung and felix are prepping the horses, jisung already sitting on his.

“took you long enough.”

hyunjin huffs before pulling himself up onto the horse, wrapping his arms around jisung’s waist just as the other pulls the horse out of the barn. hyunjin sits quietly, taking in the scenery and watching the sun slowly set. 

it takes about twenty minutes to get to the village, though jisung makes it there faster somehow, felix arriving just as jisung is tying the horse to one of the fence posts. 

hyunjin takes in the decorations. there’s streamers connecting each building, lanterns floating in the sky and various beautiful lights wrapped around the light poles. 

“pretty, isn’t it?” jisung walks up to him, looking up at the decorations as well. 

hyunjin nods silently, and a sudden wave of anxiety washed over him. his eyes fall on the crowd of townspeople talking, singing, dancing, playing games. his hands start to shake a bit and he looks at jisung, who reaches out to grip his hand tightly. 

“don’t worry, i’ll be with you the entire time.” he whispers, and leads hyunjin further into the street. there’s merchants everywhere trying to bribe people into buying their goods, and snacks are being sold at almost every other booth. hyunjin hears his stomach rumble and groans.

“hungry?”

“mhm.”

jisung laughs softly and drags hyunjin over to a merchant. hyunjin stares at the food, confused. 

“not from these parts, are you?” the man asks, staring at hyunjin. 

hyunjin flushes and shakes his head silently, looking over at jisung. 

“he’s new in town, i wanted to show him the festival.”

“good for you. it’s a shame though. about the prince. his 21st birthday and he was sent away. poor boy, i heard he wasn’t fit to rule.”

a young woman shakes her head, huffing at the merchant.

“don’t say that about the prince! he was a good boy and you know it! something happened in the palace, it wasn’t planned. do you see all the guards? there was never this many in the past years.”

all four of them look around and hyunjin grimaces when he makes eye contact with one of them, gripping onto jisung’s arm tightly. 

“liar! he was sick in the head from what i heard! he never came out, no wonder. poor boy, must’ve been something terribly wrong for them to send their son away.” another woman, much older, speaks up, shaking her head profusely. 

jisung clears his throat and laughs awkwardly, shaking his head.

“oh dear, not again. didn’t it happen several years ago?” the young woman speaks up, a sad look on her face. “the poor queen and king. to lose another child. . .” 

jisung looks up at hyunjin, who’s staring at the townspeople in confusion. he clears his throat again, regaining the merchant’s attention.

“ahhh well, we’ll take one each.”

as the man prepares their food, jisung turns to hyunjin, explaining what exactly the food was. 

“so they take a potato and they cut it in a swirling direction so that when they put it through the stick, it looks like a spiral. it gets cooked and then all kinds of spices are put on it and it’s so good.”

hyunjin thanks the man when he hands him his potato, and he eats silently as jisung fishes for two silver cones. after he pays, jisung leads him down the streets, pointing out various merchant stands and showing him the various decorations. 

“sungie!” hyunjin turns when he hears felix’s voice. 

felix walks up to the two of them, a tall boy in tow. 

“hey jeongin!” jisung reaches out, ruffling the boy’s hair, and he swats his hand away.

“hi jisung.”

hyunjin stares at the boy, eyes widening when he notices he has blue hair. 

“oh, this is hyunjin.”

“like the prince?”

hyunjin hesitates and looks between felix and jisung. 

“kind of, yeah. his parents just adore the prince.”

“must suck living under his shadow then, huh?”

hyunjin laughs and nods. 

“yeah, i guess. it’s not that bad.”

jeongin stares at him and jisung huffs. 

“jeongin’s mom owns the town inn. he’s her little helper boy.”

“stop that!” jeongin shouts, kicking jisung, who just barely managed to avoid it. 

felix and hyunjin laugh and felix grips onto the blue haired male tightly, dragging him off. 

“i gotta feed this kid, he’s been complaining about food. i’ll see you two at home?”

“of course.” jisung nods and they wave the two good bye. it’s quiet for a next few minutes, hyunjin staring at his potato for a while, trying to process everything in his mind. he speaks up, his words shaky.

“do the people really think i’m not fit to rule?”

jisung stops in his tracks, shaking his head. 

“you’re gonna listen to a crazy woman? just because you never showed your face doesn’t mean you’d make a shitty ruler. hyunjin, you’re smart, pretty, funny. you’re an awesome person and if you ever go back, you’d be an amazing ruler. i’m serious.” jisung frowns, waving his stick, the half eaten potato slowly sliding down. 

hyunjin smiles, and bends down to kiss the blonde’s cheek. 

“thank you.”

it’s quiet for a moment before hyunjin spots something that catches his eye. he pulls jisung to the stand, pointing to a necklace with a ruby stone. 

“it’s so beautiful, jisung.”

the lady at the stand smiles, picking up the necklace gently. she hands it to hyunjin who takes it carefully, fingers running over the stone. 

“do you want it?”

“what?”

jisung smiles, pulling out a gold coin. 

“i’ll buy it for you, it’s your birthday anyway, isn’t it?”

“ahh! you share a birthday with the prince?” the woman asks, smiling brightly.

hyunjin looks at her and flushes, nodding his head. 

“take it, as a gift. it’s all yours.”

hyunjin opens his mouth to refuse but she shushes him and jisung laughs, taking the necklace from his hands. he walks behind hyunjin, standing up on his toes to put it on. hyunjin shudders a bit when he feels jisung’s hands brush over his skin, and he turns around when he feels the necklace sitting securely around his neck. 

“thank you. again.”

the tips of the boy’s ears turn red and hyunjin can’t help but laugh. he turns again once he hears music and jisung’s eyes widen. 

“come on, come on!” he grabs hyunjin’s hand, pulling him through the crowd and to the center of the square. couples are already dancing, and jisung drags hyunjin to the center, putting one hand on his waist and grasping hyunjin’s hand in the other. he pulls the blonde along with him, and hyunjin can’t help but laugh at the way jisung dances. 

the boy isn’t the best dancer, but he flows to the music in a different way than hyunjin is used to. he follows his lead, unable to contain his laughter, and slowly, the crowd of couples grows larger, and soon almost everyone is dancing. hyunjin’s eyes fall on chan and minho, who themselves, are also dancing, and he waves at them. minho waves back, a smile on his face as he taps chan’s shoulder and points to him and jisung. 

soon enough, him and jisung are dancing beside chan and minho and as the music changes, minho taps jisung’s shoulder. the four of them stop dancing for a moment, and chan takes hyunjin’s hand. 

“may i?” he asks, and hyunjin looks over at jisung for approval.

“go ahead.” he laughs, and he exchanges dance partners with chan. hyunjin watches as jisung and minho disappear into the crowd. 

“he likes you, you know.” 

“what?”

hyunjin stares at chan, hesitating a bit when he feels the other place his hands on his waist. the music slowly changes to a slow tune, and a few of the couples disappear. 

“jisung. he likes you. it’s written all over his face. he’s very obvious about his feelings.”

“but why me?”

chan laughs. 

“hyunjin, you’re beautiful, smart, you laugh at his jokes. you’re not boring. you’re not snobby or stuck up. you’re a genuinely good person. you have a big heart, i can see it.”

“you barely know me chan.”

“i know you more than you think. . .”

“hey, can i steal hyunjin away?” jisung’s voice cuts through the awkward silence and chan nods. he takes minho’s hand from jisung’s, and hyunjin can hear the other grumbling about how jisung kept stepping on his shoes. 

“do you want to go sit somewhere quiet? the sky is really clear tonight.”

hyunjin nods and lets jisung pull him away from the square. they weave through the crowd again, and jisung brings him to a quiet sitting area. there’s a few townspeople sitting nearby, but one by one, they disappear until it’s just him and jisung. 

they sit in silence for a bit until jisung takes his hand and leads him to a grassy area. when they sit down, he points up at the sky. 

“shooting star. make a wish.”

hyunjin closes his eyes and makes his wish. 

_i want to stay with jisung forever._

when he opens his eyes, jisung is staring at him. hyunjin shoves him lightly, and jisung shoves him back, only rougher. he falls over, pulling jisung down with him. they wrestle until they’re both out of breath, and jisung stares down at hyunjin, who, in turn, looks up at him. he watches as jisung leans in slowly and his eyes close as he feels the other’s nose brush against his own. he makes a surprised sound when their lips meet, though he makes no move to push jisung away, instead wrapping his arms around the other’s neck, pulling him closer. jisung pulls away slowly, his face red. 

“kiss me again.” hyunjin whispers, and this time, hyunjin meets him halfway. they stay like that for a while, kissing and whispering against each other’s lips. slowly, jisung pulls away, pressing gentle kisses along hyunjin’s jaw. he kisses up to his ear and then begins to trail down. hyunjin laughs softly as jisung’s lips tickle the skin of his neck, though he turns his head to the side, eyes still closed as he lets jisung do as he wants. 

“jisung.”

“hmm?”

“do you love me?”

jisung lifts his head and stares at him. despite the darkness, hyunjin can see him nodding his head. he quickly drops his head back down to continue kissing his skin, pulling a gasp out of the prince’s mouth. they stay in this position for a while until hyunjin hears footsteps and him and jisung separate. 

“prince hyunjin?”

hyunjin freezes, head turning to look at four guards. him and jisung scramble to their feet, taking a few steps back. the guards start walking towards them and hyunjin shakes his head. 

“how do you know. . .”

“we have orders. . .”

“orders?”

jisung squeezes his hand, pulling him back. he shakes his head and grips onto jisung tightly. 

“how did you know it was me? i don’t look the same as i did before i left. . .”

the guards look confused, and they look amongst each other. suddenly, hyunjin spots one of the guards in the back pull out a bow and he cries out just as an arrow hits a tree behind him. 

“jisung, run!” he shoves the smaller male and they trip over their feet, sprinting down the cobblestone streets. 

hyunjin can hear the guards’ heavy footsteps, and looks back to see that they split up. jisung’s grip on his hand gets tighter and they run even faster, only to run into one of the guards. he grabs jisung’s shoulders, trying to shove him out of the way, but jisung is faster. he punches the guard in the face and kicks him down, pulling hyunjin away from the guard and down the street. 

“faster!” jisung shouted, weaving through the crowd as they ran. he could hear the guards yelling and people screaming. his eyes fall on the horse they had tied, praying they’d be able to get away fast enough. he turns his head, panic setting in when he realizes the guards are closer than he assumed.

“go, go! i’ll hold them off. you untie the horse.” jisung stopped, letting go of hyunjin’s hand. 

hyunjin hesitates, only running when jisung shoves him. he makes it to their horse, hands shaking as he unties the reins from the fencepost. fumbling, he watches out of the corner of his eye as jisung knocks over a bunch of barrels, blocking the road for the guards. he shouts for jisung to run, eyes filling with tears. his lips slowly curl up into a smile as he sees jisung approach him, only for his smile to falter when he sees the arrow flying. he doesn’t get to shout jisung’s name fast enough, watching as the blonde falls to the ground. he doesn’t realize he’s screaming until his legs are moving, and he’s running back towards jisung, grabbing him carefully and staring at the arrow in his shoulder. 

“oh my god, oh my god. . .” he sobs, carefully leading jisung to the horse. he can hear the guards stumbling over the fallen barrels, their shouts making his ears ring. he helps jisung onto the horse before climbing on himself. 

“hyunjin. . .” 

“shut up, shut up!”

jisung laughs softly, and hyunjin adjusts the way he’s sitting. he sits jisung so he’s facing him, and jisung laughs again, leaning forward and resting his head against hyunjin’s shoulder. 

“hyunjin. . .”

“stop it. stop talking, please. . .” he grabs the reins, and the horse runs. he doesn’t think, he doesn’t want to think, just focuses on taking jisung home. 

“don’t cry. . .”

“stop talking, please, jisung i’m begging you. just shut up.”

he wills the horse to go faster, one arm wrapped tightly around jisung’s waist. he can feel blood seeping into his own shirt, and tears stream down his face. he gets to the farm in record time, jumping off and struggling to pull jisung off. he wraps his uninjured arm around his neck, holding him up by his waist and leading him inside, sobbing as he shouts for help. 

jisung’s parents run down the stairs, eyes widening in shock at the mess. mr. han takes hold of jisung, leading him towards the couch and lying him down on his stomach. hyunjin’s hands shake and he doesn’t realize mrs. han is asking him questions until she grabs his hands. 

“we. . .we were attacked. . . he tried to hold them off and he got hurt. . .i’m sorry, i’m sorry. . .” he falls into her arms, burying his face into her shoulder. she leads him over to the dining table, setting him down in the closest chair before running into the kitchen. she comes back with a wet cloth and a medical kit, handing it to jisung’s father. she sits beside hyunjin, taking his hands and cleaning the blood off. 

“what happened?” felix runs through the door, panting and looking around. his eyes fall on jisung before looking at hyunjin. 

“they were attacked.” mrs. han says softly, and hyunjin chokes up again, apologies spilling out of his mouth. 

“don’t apologize, you wouldn’t have known this would’ve happened. it’s not your fault.” felix shakes his head, walking over to hyunjin and wrapping his arms around him. hyunjin nods shakily, watching as felix walks over to the couch, followed by mrs. han, who brings him a cup of tea before going over to help. 

hyunjin grips the mug tightly, listening to the family’s hushed voices as they try to help jisung. hyunjin flinches when jisung cries out, eyes falling on the arrow when its tossed aside. felix soon walks over and sits with hyunjin, keeping him company as jisung’s parents tend to their son. 

it’s silent until mrs. han gets up, taking the medical kit back to the kitchen, followed by mr. han, who offers hyunjin a reassuring smile. 

“he’ll be okay.” felix reaches out, rubbing his arm gently, getting up and walking over to jisung again. he sits on the floor, joined by their parents. he can hear jisung’s groggy voice, soon followed by his laughter. after a while, his parents step away, urging hyunjin to go talk to him, and felix pulls him to his feet, pushing him over to the couch. 

“he’s asking for you. . .” 

hyunjin nods, watching as felix and jisung’s parents disappear upstairs before approaching the couch. his hands shake as he bends down, reaching out to push the bangs out of jisung’s eyes. 

“hey. . .”

“hey.” hyunjin says softly, looking at the bandaged shoulder. 

“do i look cool now?”

“shut up. you could’ve died because of me. you’re so stupid.”

“it’s all for you, baby.”

hyunjin flushes immediately, smacking him lightly on the chest. they sit in silence for a bit before hyunjin points to the couch. 

“could i lie with you. . .if there’s any space. . .?” he asks softly, afraid to say anything more. 

“yeah, of course. it’s kind of chilly anyway.”

hyunjin laughs, noticing that jisung’s shirt was on the armchair, the fabric ripped apart. he helps jisung scoot over before lying down beside him, burying his face in the male’s chest as he snuggles into his side. 

“i’m sorry. . .”

“it’s okay, really. don’t apologize. you’re staying with us. we took the risk of protecting you. that risk comes with sacrifice. i knew i’d probably get hurt at some point. it’s worth it. . .”

hyunjin looks up at him, and without another word, he kisses him. gently and with love. 

"stupid." jisung laughs softly when hyunjin pulls away, and hyunjin huffs. they stare at each other for a moment, and hyunjin kisses him again quickly.

"don't blame yourself please. and don't put yourself down, okay? you're an amazing person, hyunjin. you are and you always will be." 

hyunjin nods, closing his eyes as he rests his head on jisung’s chest. he feels the other’s arm wrap around him, and he reaches up blindly, searching for his hand. upon finding it, he intertwines their fingers, gripping tight as he slowly drifts off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed!  
> follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/berrylinos for more! i don't post much but i am on there frequently!


	3. Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm sorry for taking so long to finish this fic. I had a lot of writers block and it took me a bit to figure out exactly how I wanted it to end. I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter :)

it’s been nearly two months since the incident and for a while, hyunjin refused to leave the house, scared to get anyone else hurt. jisung had healed fairly quickly, although there was a scar on his shouler that the blonde likes to flaunt.   
for the past two weeks, jisung has been begging hyunjin to go to the lake with him, scolding him for wasting the good weather while they had it. hyunjin hates saying no, he can see how hurt jisung looks each time. he can see how hurt jisung looks when he comes back, though he doesn’t voice it.   
“hyunjin, why don’t you want to go to the lake?” mrs. han asks him one day while they were in the kitchen.   
hyunjin doesn’t quite know what to say, his hands shaking a bit. she notices and walks over quickly, rubbing his back and taking his hands into her own.   
“are you alright, dear?”  
hyunjin merely shakes his head, feeling tears form in his eyes.   
“i don’t. . .i’m scared of getting someone else hurt.”  
she laughs softly, shaking her head. he looks up at her, confused.   
“i understand your fear, hyunjin, but if you keep yourself locked up because you’re afraid of what might happen, you won’t get to enjoy your life. i’m sure you love being out in the open, right? compared to how they kept you cooped inside the palace walls? i’m sure it got suffocating at some point, right?”   
hyunjin nodded silently, reaching up to wipe his tears away.   
“go. enjoy your time. you don’t need to help me every hour. i’ll be okay.” she urges, gently pushing him out of the kitchen.   
hyunjin sighs and trudges up the stairs. he finds jisung running around the bedroom and felix scolding him.  
“sung, how could you misplace two towels?!”  
“i don’t know, okay? i put them down and now they’re gone!”  
hyunjin laughs softly, walking around the frantic boys and sits down on his bed. the shared bed. he gets up quickly though, and once he lifts the blanket up, he finds two towels neatly folded.  
“they’re right here.” he holds them up and jisung nearly collapses, taking them out of then other’s hand and thanking him.  
“thank you, thank you.”   
felix continues to scold jisung as he shoves the towels haphazardly into the bag.  
“could i come with you guys?”  
both boys turn to look at him.  
“what?”  
“could i come?”  
hyunjin has known jisung for over two months, and he’s never seen his face light up the way it did.  
“yes yes! finally!”   
felix claps excitedly while jisung runs around to find a third towel, stuffing it into the overflowing bag. felix helps hyunjin find a pair of shorts he could swim in, and he quickly changes, leaving his shirt on. he follows silently after the two boys, unsure of what to say as they talk about whatever comes to mind. he was never much for conversations anyway, he liked listening.   
it wasn’t too far of a walk, and when they arrived, hyunjin is surprised to see minho and chan already in the water.   
“chan stop!” minho shrieks. he’s standing at the edge of the water, only his feet submerged.   
“baby please! i won’t drop you, trust me!” chan splashes water at the other, though he stops momentarily when he sees hyunjin, jisung, and felix approach.   
jisung is already shirtless by the time they arrive, dropping his shirt on the grass and kicking his shoes off before running past minho and jumping into the water. hyunjin stares in shock before turning to help felix pull the towels out of the bag. they lay them on the grass neatly and hyunjin takes his time, watching as felix copies jisung’s actions before running into the water as well.   
once hyunjin removes his own shirt, he walks up to minho, standing beside the older awkwardly.   
“what?”  
“oh, just thought you’d want company. you can’t swim?”  
minho frowns and shakes his head, stepping back once he sees chan walk towards him.   
“chan stop! don’t touch me!”   
chan stalks towards minho like a predator and hyunjin steps aside to avoid getting run over, walking further into the water.   
he can hear minho shrieking as he submerges, running his hands through his hair when he resurfaces. he swims out to where jisung and felix are, falling under the water when jisung jumps on him. he manages to hold onto the other without going under again, grumbling at how heavy the other was.   
“i’m not that heavy!” jisung shouts in protest  
“you are.” hyunjin mutters, wrapping his arms around the blonde tightly.   
“you’re both heavy.” felix deadpans, swimming away to where chan and minho were, leaving hyunjin alone with jisung.   
they stare at each for a little while, until jisung breaks the silence with an awkward cough.   
“so. . .”  
“so. . .”  
they go back to staring at each other again, until hyunjin feels himself grow bold and lean up, pressing his lips against jisung’s. jisung whines, but quickly kisses hyunjin back, wrapping his arms around hyunjin’s neck. hyunjin feels himself getting lost in the other, and he’s surprised he’s still able to hold the both of them above the water.   
they stay like that for what feels like hours, jisung pulling away every few minutes and hyunjin chasing after his lips like a hopeless puppy. he whines each time jisung tries to push him away, shaking his head and pulling jisung back, grip around his hips tightening.   
jisung tugs on hyunjin’s hair to finally get him to pull away, grumbling as he leans down to press his lips against hyunjin’s jaw, leaving feathery kisses on the soft skin. hyunjin’s eyes flutter shut in response, letting out soft, content sighs, jisung’s name spilling past his lips on occasion.   
“hey lovebirds, we got a visitor!”   
both boys turn their heads to the shore, and hyunjin nearly drops jisung at the sight of seungmin standing beside felix. he lets go of jisung, leaving him behind as he swims over to the shore, leaving a confused jisung to follow after.   
once he dries himself off, he runs to seungmin, hugging him out of respect.   
“hi. . .” he whispers, and seungmin offers him a smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek. he points to his jaw, indicating a mark on his skin, and hyunjin yelps, covering it up with his hand.   
seungmin only laughs, worsening hyunjin’s already growing embarrassment.   
“guys, this is seungmin. he’s my. . .”   
“fiance.”  
jisung’s jaw goes slack, and hyunjin feels his skin grow hot under the other’s gaze.   
“fiance? you’re engaged?” minho asks, looking at chan before staring at hyunjin.   
hyunjin nods slowly, lifting his hand up to show off the ring seungmin gave him the night they were attacked.   
“and you never told us?” felix chimes in, huffing and kicking hyunjin in the shin. “i can’t believe you’re engaged.”   
“yeah, me neither.” jisung frowns, grabbing his stuff and wrapping a towel around his shoulders.   
“jisung-” hyunjin reaches out for the other, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.   
“i’ll meet you guys back at home.” jisung shrugs his hand off, sulking off.   
hyunjin watches him go, looking over at chan with a sad look. chan only shrugs, wrapping an arm around minho’s shoulders.   
“you didn’t tell them?” seungmin asks, breaking the silence finally.   
“no. . .i didn’t know when, or how. never really came up, i guess.”  
seungmin stares at him, confused, though the look in his eyes quickly changes into a solemn one.   
“what is it?”  
“i came here because i had news. bad news. let’s go inside, okay? i’ll tell you everything i know.”  
hyunjin nods, pulling his shirt on and slipping his shoes on before taking seungmin’s hand and leading him back to the house with chan, minho, and felix in tow.   
when they get inside, jisung is sitting at the table, eating silently as his parents hover. his eyes are red, though he doesn’t move. doesn’t look up when they all walk in. seungmin introduces himself properly, having already given a quick introduction when he first arrived looking for hyunjin. jisung’s parents offer some lunch, and they all sit around the table.   
chan and felix sit on either side of jisung, cutting hyunjin off from the boy, much to his distaste, though he finds himself sitting next to seungmin, again out of respect. seungmin holds his hand tightly as they eat, though he quickly pushes his plate away to clear his throat.   
“the king is dead.”  
the table goes silent. all eyes turn to hyunjin, who stares down at his bowl in shock. he feels tears form in his eyes, and he starts shaking his head in disbelief.   
“no, no no. . .you’re lying.”  
“i’m not. he was found last night. poisoned.” seungmin says with a straight face.   
chan stares at him, as if he’s trying to pick seungmin apart. seungmin stares back at him, completely ridden of any emotions.   
“no, no. . . father. . .” hyunjin sobs, covering his face in his hands. seungmin rubs his back soothingly, kissing his shoulder and trying to reassure him gently.   
hyunjin can feel jisung’s eyes on him, and it hurts him even more to know that he lied. when he looks up, everyone’s heads are down except for jisung’s and chan’s, however chan is staring at seungmin, still trying to pick him apart.   
“chan. . . stop staring.” minho hits his arm before tugging on the sleeve of his shirt. chan apologizes under his breath, gaze dropping to his plate.   
hyunjin looks over at seungmin again, frowning as he follows his gaze. he tries to wrap his head around chan and seungmin’s mild interactions, but it makes him even more confused.   
“excuse me.” jisung breaks the silence, pushing himself away from the table and walking out through the back door. they all watch, and hyunjin feels his heart split again. he gets to his feet, only to be pulled back down by seungmin, who looks at him desperately.   
“can i talk to you? alone preferably?” he asks softly, glancing over at the rest of the boys. hyunjin nods, eyes falling on chan’s, who gives him a displeased look. he tries to ignore it, taking seungmin’s hand and leading him outside. he takes him out towards the cornfield, sitting down on the bench by the entrance.   
they sit in silence for a bit before seungmin clears his throat, fixing his posture.   
“do you like it here?”  
“what?” hyunjin looks over at the other, confused.   
“do you like it here? on the farm? you seem to fit right in. are they nice?”  
“yeah, of course. everyone is really nice and patient. i learned a lot from jisung’s parents that i wouldn’t have learned at home.” hyunjin smiles at the thought, thinking about all the various things he’d done since he arrived.   
seungmin laughs softly, nodding his head, though there’s a sad look in his eyes.   
“do you want to come home?”  
hyunjin’s breathing hitches and he picks at the skin by his nails.   
“i don’t know. . .i like it here, seungmin. it’s quiet and i feel like i can be myself.”   
“you don’t feel like yourself at home? you’re the prince, hyunjin. you’re supposed to feel like one, not like some silly farm boy.”  
hyunjin shakes his head, frowning at the accusation.   
“i’m not a silly farm boy, and neither is jisung!”  
“i never said anything about jisung-”  
“you were implying it though!”   
seungmin sighs, looking at his boots. hyunjin folds into himself, wrapping his arms around his body protectively.   
“hyunjin please-”  
“stop it. i don’t want to go back, seungmin. i like it here. i don’t want to live in constant fear for my life! if my father was killed, i’ll be next! i like it here, i feel safer. i feel like i can be myself, i don’t have to be scared to say or do anything because they know me as a regular person, not some stuck up prince! even when i first got here, jisung never looked at me like i was a prissy bitch who didn’t like getting mud on his hands. he gave his bed to me! he was nice, and so were his friends. they made sure i was comfortable and okay! back at the castle, it’s so strict and i don’t want to conform to it anymore!”   
“alright, you can stop now.”  
hyunjin gets to his feet, stomping his foot into the dirt.   
“no, i won’t stop. if you came here to take me home, then leave. i’m not going. my mother is perfectly capable of running the kingdom herself. and this-” he slides off the ring on his finger, holding it out. “-you can have it back. you ruined my relationship with jisung.”  
“hyunjin! i gave it to you as an engagement ring! you’re going to throw your kingdom away for a stupid farm boy?” seungmin gets to his feet as well, grabbing the ring and shoving it into his coat pocket.   
“stop calling him stupid! he’s more accepting and kind than you will ever be! and i told you, i’m staying here! i’m allowed to be selfish for once and make a decision that’s best for me! and that ring? i agreed to wear it but i never agreed to the engagement! get your head out of your ass-”  
“what’s going on?” chan’s voice cuts off hyunjin’s train of thought. hyunjin takes a few steps back, inching closer to chan as the blonde approaches them.   
“nothing. we’re finished here.” seungmin says coldly, looking away.   
“did he hurt you?” chan asks softly, looking hyunjin up and down for any injuries.   
“no i’m okay. seungmin was just leaving.”  
“hyunjin-”  
“i think you should go.” chan says firmly, his soft demeanor turning cold once his gaze falls on seungmin. his grip on hyunjin tightens, and he pulls the boy closer to his chest.   
seungmin opens his mouth to argue, but soon decides against it, glaring at chan. hyunjin looks between both boys, trying to understand the telepathic fight going on, but he looks down instead, tugging on chan’s shirt.   
“it’s okay, let it go.”   
“you’re really not going, hyunjin?” seungmin asks one more time, crossing his arms over his chest.   
“no.”  
the male scoffs, waving the two of them off before disappearing down the path to the house. chan and hyunjin stay behind for a bit, hyunjin wiping at his eyes to avoid crying.  
“we can go back if you want.” he says softly, not wanting to keep chan from the others.   
“it’s okay. we can wait until you’ve calmed down. the others will understand.”  
“are you sure?”  
chan nods silentl and offers hyunjin a reassuring smile.   
“he’s not my. . . fiance.”   
“i know. i saw the distaste in your eyes.”  
hyunjin flushes a bit, looking down at his shoes.   
“i agreed to accept the ring as a formality, i told him explicitly that i wasn’t agreeing to anything serious. i thought he understood.” he sighs, pulling out the band holding his hair back and redoing the ponytail.   
chan watches him quietly, nodding.   
“i thought so.”  
“i didn’t mean to hurt jisung’s feelings. i could tell he was upset by it. i wasn’t messing around with him, i promise. and i don’t want to go back. i like it here. more than i thought i would.”  
chan laughs softly and nods again.   
“it’s okay. you can stay for as long as you want. no one is forcing you to leave.”   
“thank you.”  
chan nods once more, and then they look at each other in silence. hyunjin kicks at the dirt for a few minutes before looking at the older, clearing his throat.   
“do you know seungmin?”  
“hmm?”  
“do you know seungmin? you kept staring at him weirdly. i thought maybe you might know him.”  
“oh, um. . . no. no i don’t. i thought i did. he looks like someone i once knew. . .” chan coughs awkwardly, shaking his head quickly. hyunjin quirks a brow in confusion but doesn’t push. after a bit, chan suggests they head back and hyunjin nods, and they walk back to the house quietly, and hyunjin lets chan in on a few palace secrets that he probably shouldn’t share  
when they walk inside, minho is fast asleep on the couch, a book splayed across his chest. felix is sitting on the floor with jisung, playing jacks.   
“where’s seungmin?” felix asks, looking around.   
“he had to go.” hyunjin said, at the same time that chan bitterly replied “he left.”  
both boys look at each other for a moment before chan steps aside, sitting on the edge of the couch, running his fingers through minho’s hair. hyunjin looks at jisung, who looks away quickly, setting his jacks down on the table before getting up.   
“i’m gonna go wash up.” he mutters, avoiding hyunjin’s eyes as he walks by him, running up the stairs.   
“jisung-”  
“he’s just upset. i told him it was probably nothing and just a misunderstanding, but he’s stubborn.” felix offers a small, reassuring smile, motioning to the other to follow.   
“i didn’t mean to.”   
“i know. you should talk to him. he’d really appreciate it.”   
hyunjin nods, leaving felix to clean up their little game as he runs up the stairs. he walks into the bedroom slowly, eyes falling on the pile of clothes lying beside the bathroom door. he knocks on the oak wood gently, waiting for a response.   
“jisung-”  
“go away.  
“i’m coming in.”   
he hears a defeated sigh as he turns the knob of the door, stepping inside the bathroom. he closes the door behind him, frowning. jisung is sitting in the bath, almost fully submerged except for everything from his nose up.   
“sung-”  
“don’t call me that.”  
“i’m sorry.”  
hyunjin stands awkwardly by the door, hands behind his back. he keeps his eyes on jisung, trying to think of something to say. instead, he ends up slipping his shoes off, pulling his shirt off along with his pants. once he’s fully undressed, he pushes his clothes to the side and walks over to the bath, carefully stepping inside.  
“get out.”  
“no.”  
jisung’s eyes open up and he sits up, staring at hyunjin in shock. somehow, they both fit, hyunjin sitting across from jisung with his legs propped up on either side of the smaller boy.   
“what are you doing?” jisung asks, glaring at him.   
“i just want to apologize. i. . . it was a misunderstanding. i swear.”  
“misunderstanding? you were wearing a ring, hyunjin. how is having a fiance a misunderstanding?” jisung mutters, splashing hyunjin in the face.   
“listen to me-”  
“i don’t want to.”   
“please.”  
jisung sighs and hyunjin looks down at the water, unable to look the other in the eyes.  
“he tried to propose to save his own kingdom and i told him i didn’t want it, but he kept insisting so i took the ring as a formality. i explicitly told him no, i swear. i told him i didn’t agree to anything until i was sure. i swear. that’s all it was. i didn’t know he was going to say that. i was trying to figure out what he was to me. . .”   
when he finally looks up, hyunjin meets jisung’s eyes. the male is scowling, displeased and scrunching his nose.   
“really?”  
“yeah. . . that’s all it was. i promise. i wouldn’t lie to you. not when i like you as much as i do.”  
“but seungmin-”  
“screw seungmin. i gave him the ring back. i don’t want it anymore. i’m staying here and i don’t want to go back home. i’m happier here. with you. if you’d let me stay.”  
jisung laughs, running his fingers through his hair, pushing the wet strands out of his eyes.   
“god, you’re ridiculous. you scared me. i thought you were using me and i was so happy when i met you and i thought i was going to lose you because some royal prick dragged you off.”  
hyunjin stares at him, biting back a laugh.   
“never, never in my life would i leave unwillingly. i’ll only leave if you want me to.”  
“no. please don’t leave. i like having you here.”  
“okay.”  
it’s silent for a bit, the two boys staring at each other with stupid smiles on their faces before jisung starts shifting in his spot, pushing himself to sit up even more. hyunjin watches him closely, eyes fixated on the way jisung keeps squirming.   
“what’s wrong?”  
“nothing. just squished.”  
“oh. sorry.”  
hyunjin watches as jisung’s facial expression changes, and suddenly, the boy is closer to him than he was before. jisung situates himself in hyunjin’s lap, arms wrapped loosely around his neck. hyunjin shudders when their skin touches, face flushing at the lack of distance between them.   
“what are you doing?”  
“i’m getting comfortable. should i get off?” jisung asks nervously, a worried look in his eyes.   
“no! no, don’t. it’s okay.” hyunjin shakes his head quickly, face flushing even more out of embarrassment.   
they sit in silence again, and hyunjin musters up the courage to place his hands on jisung’s waist, pulling him closer. jisung lets out a whine, head dropping to rest on hyunjin’s shoulder.   
“jisung-”  
“shut up.”  
hyunjin shuts up, sitting silently and waiting for the other to move or say something. he feels jisung’s hand rest on his abdomen, breath hitching in his throat as the male looks up at him, eyebrows furrowed.   
“don’t.”  
“what-”  
hyunjin doesn’t get to finish, jisung cutting him off with his lips pressed against his own. his hands tangle in hyunjin’s long locks, tugging playfully and he pushes himself closer to the other, their chests pressed against one another. jisung lets out another whine, muffled by their lips, and hyunjin lets out a yelp when jisung bites down on his lip and pulls roughly.   
hyunjin’s head is spinning when jisung pulls away, pressing his lips to his jaw, neck, collarbones. his eyes flutter shut, head tilting back to give jisung more access, though he doesn’t quite know what they’re doing exactly. he just lets the other do what he wants for now.   
he lets out a gasp when he feels jisung’s teeth graze his skin, gripping onto the other’s arms tightly when he bites into his skin.   
“jisung!”   
“what?”  
“what are you doing?”  
jisung only laughs in response, his hands running up and down hyunjin’s chest. his hands settle just above hyunjin’s crotch, and the boy lets out a quiet whimper.   
“can i?” jisung asks softly, gazing deep into the other’s eyes .  
hyunjin nods silently, breath hitching in the back of his throat when he feels jisung’s hand wrap around the base of his length. hyunjin gasps, grabbing hold of jisung’s wrist, grip tight.   
“i got you, it’s okay.” jisung whispers, leaning over to press a reassuring kiss to his cheek.   
he moves closer and the tips of their lengths brush up against each other, and hyunjin whimpers again. jisung grumbles, trying to wrap his hand around the both of their lengths, sighing in defeat.   
“what is it?”  
“my hand is small. . .”  
hyunjin laughs softly, though his face flushes even more, tips of his ears burning at the realization. he holds his own hand out, letting jisung guide him until he has both of their dicks in his hand. he shudders at the feeling, pressing his thumb against the tip of jisung’s length, watching as the younger boy squirms.   
“hyunjin, please. . .”  
“i’m sorry, i’m new to this. .”  
“me too. just. . . just move your hand. like that-” he cuts himself off with a soft moan, eyes fluttering shut when hyunjin does as instructed.   
jisung arches his back, pushing into hyunjin’s hand as the other continues to move his hand, the water giving him a smooth glide.   
“hyunjin-”  
jisung gasps, nails digging into hyunjin’s shoulders when said male presses their tips together, spreading the precome around despite it mixing with the water. he shudders, letting out a soft groan before bucking his hips up into his own hand, smiling at the way jisung cries out.   
“please, please. . .”   
“i got you, it’s okay. . .”   
despite the water growing cold, both boys are sweating, hair sticking to their faces as soft moans and whimpers bounce off the walls, along with gentle whispers of each other’s names. jisung is impatient and squirmy, while hyunjin tries his best to take his time, reassuring the other and holding onto him tightly.   
his hand moves faster, and he watches as jisung falls apart, gasping and holding onto hyunjin for dear life. his hips buck up into hyunjin’s hand, desperate and clawing at the other’s skin.   
“jisung. . .”   
“hyunjin please. . . i’m so close. . . please, please-”  
hyunjin cuts him off, pressing his lips to the other’s. he can hear jisung moan against his lips, fingers pulling on his hair as his hips continue to rock against his hand. hyunjin forces himself not to laugh at the other’s desperation, he himself growing more desperate the closer he got.   
his hand moves faster, gliding with ease until he hears jisung cry out his name, back arching and gasps spilling past his lips.   
“hyunjin, hyunjin. . .”  
“it’s okay, it’s okay.”  
he keeps the pace of his hand until he comes, spilling into his own hand, only for it to wash away. he shudders through his orgasm, wrapping his arms around jisung and pulling him close, kissing the side of his head and rubbing his back soothingly. jisung is shaking, gasping and trying to catch his breath, tips of his ears red and burning as he buries his face into the other’s shoulder.   
they sit in silence, trying to stabilize their breathing before looking into each other’s eyes. jisung leans in first, pressing a long kiss to hyunjin’s lips.   
“i love you.” he whispers, pressing his forehead to hyunjin’s despite the sweat running down his face.   
“i love you too.”  
they take a moment to wash themselves properly, jisung watching as hyunjin steps out and wraps a towel around his waist.   
“i went animalistic on your back, i’m sorry. . .”  
“it’s okay.” hyunjin laughs, looking at his skin in the mirror. he flushes at the sight of red scratches covering his skin from the tops of his shoulder to his mid back. he stares at jisung through the mirror for a moment before walking out of the bathroom. jisung walks into the room as hyunjin is searching for a change of clothes. they change in silence, drying off each other’s hair before jisung leans in to kiss him, and they laugh softly after bumping heads.   
it takes them a bit to get situated, and jisung tosses everything on the bed to the floor, pulling hyunjin down with him. hyunjin holds onto the smaller boy tightly, wrapping his limbs aorund him, and with a smile, he falls asleep. 

hyunjin finds it difficult to stop running away with jisung. after their little fiasco in the bathroom, they’ve grown exceptionally close, running off and hiding from everyone else. their best hiding spot turned out to be the second floor of the barn. no one ever went up there, or even expected them to go there, so it always ended up being a game of hide and seek to find hyunjin and jisung.   
currently, they’d been hiding by the hay bales, jisung sitting comfortably on hyunjin’s lap, their lips pressed against each other. jisung’s hands are traveling up hyunjin’s shirt, tugging on the material, and hyunjin pulls away, gasping for air. jisung’s lips attach to his neck, sucking and biting while hyunjin’s eyes flutter and he throws his head back.   
“sung-”  
“shut up.” the younger grumbles, cupping hyunjin’s face and tilting his head to the side, his lips trailing further down, leaving a trail of marks.   
“jisung! hyunjin!” chan’s voice comes from outside and jisung lets out a groan, pushing himself off of hyunjin’s lap.   
“every time!” he frowns, crossing his arms as he waits for hyunjin to get up. they walk down the stairs together, and walk out of the barn, running into chan who looks paler than usual.   
“seungmin is here again.”   
hyunjin momentarily forgets how to breathe. seungmin was here two weeks ago, and hyunjin just barely managed to get him to leave.   
“minho is with him now, but i don’t want them to be alone for too long.” chan admits, grabbing both boys by the arms and pulling them towards the house.   
“where is felix?” hyunjin asks, eyes falling on the rows of guards stationed on the pathway leading to the house.   
“he went to visit jeongin. i’m glad he’s not here.”  
chan pulls hyunjin and jisung through the back door, and the three of them stumble into the dining room, where minho seems very dissatisfied.   
“hello hyunjin.” seungmin greets him with a smile.   
“hi seungmin, what are you doing here?”  
“just wanted to visit. see how you were doing.”  
chan sits beside minho, taking his hand and gripping tightly. jisung sits beside him, pulling hyunjin down with him, grip tight. seungmin eyes the four boys sitting across the table from him, and his smile grows.   
“i wanted to talk to jisung, actually.”  
“okay.” jisung shrugs, though he seems unsettled.   
“alone.”   
“no.” hyunjin says sternly, slamming his fist on the table.   
“if he’s going to be with you, i would like to talk to him. walk him through everything. let him know a few things, since you’re content with remaining here. i have to go through some royal matters with him.” seungmin frowns, scoffing.   
“it’s okay, hyunjin. i can take care of myself. i’ll be okay.” jisung reassures him, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. he pushes himself out of the chair, pointing to the couch.   
“shall we go for a walk?” seungmin walks to the door instead, opening it. he motions for jisung to walk out first, though his gaze is fixated on hyunjin, who scowls.   
he sits silently and waits until the both of them are out of the house before turning to chan.   
“can’t we follow them?”  
“no. that would be a bad idea. i don’t trust seungmin, but following them might make matters worse.” chan shakes his head, and minho rubs his back reassuringly.   
“we’ll just have to sit and wait it out.” minho says softly, turning to hyunjin. he offers a soft smile, and hyunjin tries to relax in his chair.   
they sit at the table for what feels like hours, minho walking back and forth from the kitchen to bring them some food. the house is empty except for the three of them, jisung’s parents having gone down to the market early in the morning.   
“shouldn’t they be back by now?” hyunjin asks, restless as he peeks out the window. the sun is setting, and he feels anxiety begin to build up.   
“we’ll wait another twenty minutes and if they aren’t back, we’ll go look for them.” chan mutters, making himself comfortable on the couch, despite the look of discomfort on his face.   
only a few minutes pass before hyunjin begins looking around, confused.   
“do you smell that?” he asks, furrowing his brows.   
“what?” chan gets to his feet quickly, looking around as well.   
“it smells like-”  
“burning!” minho runs out of the kitchen, eyes wide.   
“what?” both boys look at him in shock.   
“guards outside, they shot burning arrows at the house. they’re trying to set us on fire!”   
in that moment, hyunjin notices gray smoke beginning to build up and he starts coughing, waving the air in front of him. chan grabs hyunjin, and minho runs out the back door, holding the door open for the two of them.   
once they’re outside, they watch as the flames quickly engulf the wooden house. the flames grow the more the house burns, and they run to the front of the house, only to be stopped by the guards, each with their bows in hand, ready to fire.   
“no please. . .” hyunjin whispers, taking a few steps back.   
without hesitation, the guards fire and all three boys split. chan grabs minho and they bolt for the fields. hyunjin stupidly turns around and runs towards the barn. he’s desperate to find jisung, and possibly murder seungmin.   
he runs until his feet ache, gasping for air but he can’t stop, not with the guard chasing after him. he cries out, freezing for a moment when he hears a cry.   
“jisung!” he shouts, looking around frantically before running again, an arrow just barely missing his head.   
hyunjin can see the barn burning in the distance, shouting as arrows fly past his head. he shouts for jisung, searching everywhere for the blonde boy with no avail. tears are streaming down his face as he races towards the barn, eyes falling on a familiar face.   
“seungmin! seungmin, where’s jisung?” he runs over to the prince, tugging on his shirt.   
when seungmin turns around, hyunjin stumbles back, mortified. he’s holding jisung in a chokehold, knife pressed up against his neck.   
“hyunjin. . .” jisung croaks out, and hyunjin stumbles back in fear.   
“seungmin, let him go! let him go, please! what are you doing?”   
“really, hyunjin? really?” seungmin laughs, shaking his head disappointingly. “i thought you were smart.”  
hyunjin stares in disbelief, watching as seungmin shoves jisung forward, the shorter boy stumbling until he’s in hyunjin’s arms.   
“don’t you get it? god, even chan figured it out. stupid. he should’ve said something. he could’ve stopped this so quickly.”  
“what are you talking about?”  
“remember that attack? the first night we met? i staged that. with my parents.”  
“no-”   
“let me finish. i staged that attack. my parents have wanted your kingdom for years, hyunjin. ours has gone to shit and it’s unfixable. my parents want more. they tried to take over once, but it didn’t work. your stupid brother got in the way.”  
“my brother. . .?” hyunjin tries to connect the dots, but there’s no recollection of any brother. no paintings, portraits. no one said anything to him ever. not even his parents.   
“yeah. chan. he’s your brother. that’s why he kept glaring at me, he knew me by name. he was three when the attack happened. my parents failed because of him, and your parents sent him away, just like they did with you. but then they had you the year after, so my parents decided to have a child. it was the perfect plan. marry me into your family and take over from the inside. it was flawless. i can’t believe it worked.”  
“chan is my brother. . .?”  
seungmin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.   
“did you not hear a word i said?”  
hyunjin looks up, mixed emotions all over his face. he lunges at seungmin, knocking the male to the ground. he pushes the knife out of his reach and raises his fist, punching seungmin in the nose.   
“you killed my father! you killed my father!” he shouts, repeatedly punching seungmin until he’s pulled off.   
jisung holds him back, muttering that it isn’t worth it. hyunjin sobs, screaming at seungmin, who pushes himself to his feet with a smug look on his face.   
“don’t look at me like that!”   
seungmin laughs, shaking his head with faux sympathy in his eyes.   
“what a shame. you would’ve made such a pretty prince. i almost caught feelings for you. disappointing, right? i’m not some dirty farm boy who you kiss in the lake, right? i’m not any different than those nobles, right?” seungmin taunts, letting out another laugh.   
he sighs and shakes his head after a bit, looking down at the ground. they stand in silence, the crackling of the fire behind them beginning to make hyunjin nervous. slowly, he hears footsteps, and in the distance, horses run towards them. guards line up behind seungmin, bows and swords drawn, too many for jisung and hyunjin to handle on their own. somewhere in the distance, hyunjin hears chan’s voice, calling his and jisung’s names.   
“chan-!’ he shouts back, only to be met with flaring pain in his leg. he looks down to see an arrow piercing just below his knee, and he cries out, stumbling to the ground. he pulls the arrow out forcefully, throwing it aside. jisung stares at him in horror before looking over at seungmin, and moves to stand in front of hyunjin.   
“leave him alone.”  
“jisung-”  
“how noble.” seungmin snorts, waving a hand to his guards. they lower their weapons, but their guards are still up. an arrow flies, somewhere in the distance, hitting one of the guards and knocking them down.   
they look around frantically, but seungmin brushes it off, shaking his head before approaching both boys. jisung tries to push him back, but seungmin trips him, laughing as he falls face first into the ground. he reaches for hyunjin, grabbing him by the hair and forcing him to look up.   
“you’re a pathetic excuse for a prince, hyunjin. disgusting. nothing about this is right, don’t you understand? your duty is to help. and you’re being selfish. don’t you care about my kingdom? don’t you care about the starving children? the bankrupt and dying families?”  
hyunjin cries, shaking his head. he grips onto seungmin’s wrist tightly, trying to ease some of the pressure off his hair, but seungmin’s grip only tightens.   
“i do care! but not for you! not for someone who killed my father and used me for your own personal gain. if anyone is selfish, it’s you-” a sharp slap to the face sends hyunjin to the ground, face stinging and he reaches up to touch his cheek, feeling his skin burn.   
“shut up. you’re disgusting, walking around, holding hands with dirt like that.” seungmin points to jisung, who quickly moves to knock him over. he shouts at hyunjin to run, but the blonde only stares in shock, frozen in place.   
jisung throws punches after punches at seungmin, effectively breaking his nose. he curses and hits him until he’s doubling over, clutching his side. seungmin sighs again, standing up and cleaning himself off.   
“i really don’t want to have to do this tonight, hyunjin, but you’re making it so difficult for me.” he wipes a bloody knife off against his pants, and hyunjin quickly turns to jisung, mortified.   
when jisung moves his hand away, it’s covered in blood, the entire left side of his shirt drenched and torn into. hyunjin screams and makes a run for him, but seungmin blocks him, shaking his head. “don’t you dare.”  
“move!”   
seungmin shoves him back roughly, knocking hyunjin over to the ground. he steps on his chest, and hyunjin grabs at his ankle, trying to push his foot off and relieve the pressure to his chest.   
“stop, stop! you’re going to break his ribs!” jisung screams, coughing. hyunjin watches as he struggles to get to his feet, and he yells for him to stop moving.   
another arrow flies, hitting seungmin’s shoulder. it’s enough to force seungmin’s foot off hyunjin’s chest, and hyunjin rolls away, scrambling to his feet and running towards jisung.   
“pathetic. this is so pathetic.” seungmin laughs loudly, rolling his eyes as he forces one of the guards to pull the arrow out. he grimaces, but he walks it off, clearing his throat. hyunjin stands in front of jisung, blocking him from the other.   
“don’t hurt him, please.” he begs, shaking his head as tears stream down his face. he knows its pathetic and useless at this point, but he would give anything to save jisung now.   
“my pleasure.” seungmin grabs him by the arm, twisting it behind his back and suddenly hyunjin finds himself on his knees, crying out in pain.   
seungmin motions for the guards to grab jisung, and they hold him up by his arms. the blonde’s breathing is labored, his eyes are barely open, and he’s covered in blood.   
“are you sure you want him alive? killing him would be so much more helpful to his situation. think of it as a mercy killing-”  
“i said no!” hyunjin shouts, cutting seungmin off.   
he gets pulled to his feet roughly, stumbling. he stares at jisung, sobbing.   
“jisung, jisung can you hear me? please stay alive! open your eyes! open your eyes please!” he begs, and seungmin scoffs, shaking his head.   
suddenly, the guards drop jisung to the ground, and each draws their bow, pointing it at hyunjin. hyunjin stares in shock, turning his head just in time to see seungmin draw his sword. he shakes in fear, stumbling when the prince releases his hold on him.   
“jisung!” hyunjin shouts, taking a step forward to run towards the younger, but he freezes when he hears the release of arrows from their respective bows.   
he flinches, covering his face and squeezing his eyes shut, accepting his fate. he waits for the pain to come, for each individual arrow to pierce his skin and end his misery, but it doesn’t come. slowly, hyunjin opens his eyes, and the sight before him makes him shout, his screams fill the air, broken and hoarse.   
“jisung!”   
jisung is inches away from hyunjin’s face, blood running down his chin, lips stained. he’s smiling despite the dozen arrows piercing his back, and hyunjin holds his arms out for the other.   
“oh my god, oh my god. . .” he whispers as jisung falls into his arms, blood further staining his shirt.   
“shhh. . .” jisung whispers, wrapping his arms loosely around hyunjin’s shoulders.   
“no, no, jisung you can’t die. . .”  
“it’s okay. i wanted to protect you. you don’t. . .you don’t deserve to die. . .” he coughs weakly, and hyunjin sobs hysterically.   
behind him, seungmin laughs.   
“shame, really. there was no need for two lives to be lost tonight.”  
hyunjin doesn’t register his words until it’s too late. there’s a piercing ache in his back, and he coughs, the taste of blood on his lips making him gag. he jerks forward, feeling cold metal enter and exit his body in a matter of seconds, and he falls over, jisung in his arms.   
seungmin stands over him, wiping the blood off his sword with a rag.   
“shame, isn’t it? he didn’t have to die for you. he should’ve minded his own business.”  
“shut up!” hyunjin croaks out, coughing up more blood. he can feel the grass underneath him grow more and more wet, the front of his shirt soaked as well, a mix of his and jisung’s blood staining the fabric.  
he sobs, holding tightly onto jisung’s body. the boy is barely breathing, gasping, his eyes shut.   
“at least you two will die together.”   
hyunjin begins to see black spots. thoughts of his mother and father run through his mind, as well as his dog. changbin appears as well, the maids, the guards. chan and minho. and felix. and jeongin.   
he hears chan’s voice, shouting. he hears seungmin cursing, and he turns his head in time to see seungmin collapse to the ground, eyes black and void of life. there’s a few arrows sticking out of his body, similar to jisung, but there’s a sword sticking out of his chest, and chan standing over his body.   
“hyunjin!” chan cries out, dropping to the ground beside the blonde. he cradles his head in his lap, brushing hair out of his eyes.   
“shh. . .” minho whispers, sitting beside chan, glancing at jisung’s body.   
“jisung. . . he. . .”  
“it’s okay. . .” minho offers a small smile, but there’s sadness in his eyes.   
“he’s gone, isn’t he. . .?”  
both chan and minho nod silently and hyunjin’s grip on jisung’s body tightens. his lifeless body.   
“it’s okay, hyunjin. we’re here. seungmin is gone. it’s over. it’s okay.” chan whispers, tears running down his face.   
“but you-”  
“shh. it’s okay. we’re here for you. and jisung. we got you.” minho rests his head on chan’s shoulder, gripping his arm tightly.   
hyunjin smiles a bit, before gasping for air.   
“it’s okay, hyunjin. it’s okay. you can let go, it’s okay.” chan mutters, his voice shaking.   
hyunjin nods, turning to the sky. the last thing he sees before everything goes black is a shooting star.   
the same shooting star that started it all.


End file.
